Evaluation of Salivary Lipid Peroxidation End Product Level in Dental Caries

Background: Tissue destruction can be measured by the level of lipid peroxidation (LP) end products. Since free radicals are very reactive with low survival time, the level of free radicals and oxidative stress activity are measured indirectly by tissue damage end product assessment, i.e. Malondialdehyde (MDA) that is a final end product of LP. Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate salivary MDA level as an indicator of oxidative stress; in caries-active and caries-free students. Methods: A total of 100 male and female students, 15-17 years of age, participated in this casecontrol study. Five mL of whole saliva was obtained. Salivary MDA level was measured spectrophotometrically. Statistical comparisons were performed with Student’s t-test, using SPSS 13. Results: Salivary MDA level was significantly higher in the caries-active group compared to the control caries-free group. MDA was also slightly lower in males. Conclusion: Higher MDA level might indicate caries-induced oxidative stress. In this study there was a relationship between salivary MDA level and dental caries. Therefore oxidative stress suppression might prevent caries initiation and progression.