Evaluation of Osteocalcin Levels in Saliva of Periodontitis Patients and Their Correlation with the Disease Severity: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Objectives:  The present study aimed to investigate osteocalcin levels in saliva of healthy and periodontitis patients and correlate these levels with periodontitis severity.

Materials And Methods:  This cross-sectional study was conducted in a hospital setup. A total of 95 individuals participated in the study with 46 subjects in group I (healthy individuals) and 49 subjects in group II (mild, moderate, and severe chronic periodontitis patients). A detailed assessment of clinical periodontal parameters and alveolar bone loss was made. Unstimulated saliva samples were collected from all study subjects and osteocalcin levels were quantitatively analyzed by sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent essay technique.

Statistical Analysis:  One-way analysis of variance, Spearman's correlation test, and Pearson's chi-squared test were applied at a significance level of 95%. -Values less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant.

Results:  The results showed a significant association of qualification with group II ( < 0.02). Bone loss scores were also significantly associated with periodontitis severity ( < 0.01). However, no statistically significant difference was observed between group I and group II in terms of mean salivary osteocalcin levels ( = 0.68). Also, an insignificant correlation was also observed between osteocalcin levels and periodontitis severity ( = 0.13).

Conclusion:  The overall study results showed that there was no significant difference between saliva osteocalcin levels of healthy and periodontitis patients. Also, there was a nonsignificant correlation between osteocalcin levels and periodontitis severity. The findings of the present study support the hypothesis that low osteocalcin levels in saliva might be considered as a poor indicator of periodontal disease progression and severity.