Transforming Growth Factor Beta as Salivary Biomarker in Periodontitis Patients with or without Diabetes Mellitus

Aim: To estimate the salivary TGF-beta levels in periodontitis patients with or without diabetes mellitus

Materials and methods: Thirty patients [15 males and 15 females] were included in this study and divided into three groups. Group a included 10 participants with periodontal health. Group b included 10 participants with periodontitis and diabetes mellitus. Group c included 10 participants with periodontitis only. Saliva samples were collected and TGF-beta levels were compared between the groups using Sandwich-enzyme linked immunosorbent assay by commercially available human TGF-beta 96 well ELISA kit. The data were statistically analysed by One-Way- ANOVA. Newman-Keuls multiple comparison test was used to test the significance at the levels of P< 0.05.

Results: TGF- beta level was found to be significantly higher (p<0.05) in periodontitis with diabetes mellitus (108 ±7.1pg/ml) when compared with periodontitis only (77±3.5 pg/ml) and also when compared with healthy controls (66±5.6 pg/ml).

Conclusion: The results indicate that TGF beta level was found to be increased in the saliva of patients with periodontitis with diabetes mellitus than healthy controls, suggesting that diabetes mellitus and periodontitis show detrimental effects on each other through TGF beta pathway and thus estimation of salivary TGF beta levels may help to monitor the periodontal disease severity in diabetic patients.