Role of Salivary PH on the Prevalence of Periodontal Disease: A Cross Sectional Pilot Study

Periodontium comprises alveolar bone, cementum, periodontal ligament, and the gingiva which function as one single unit in anchoring the teeth. Dental caries and periodontal disease have been reported as the common causes for tooth loss. Periodontitis refers to the inflammation of the periodontium which is a disease multifactorial in nature. Apart from plaque many other factors could also contribute as risk factor for periodontitis. The aim of this study is to assess the association between salivary pH and periodontal disease. This study was designed a cross sectional pilot study conducted in the subjects who visited the university dental hospital. The subjects were categorized into 3 groups: Healthy gingiva, Gingivitis and Periodontitis based on the gingival and periodontal parameters like gingival index (GI), periodontal probing depth (PPD), clinical attachment loss (CAL). The mean salivary pH was found to be 6.24 ± 0.11 in periodontitis group, 6.58 ± 0.58 in gingivitis group and 7 ± 0.18 in healthy gingiva group. From the above results it shows that the salivary pH of periodontitis group is acidic when compared to gingivitis and healthy group however did not show statistical significant difference (P>0.05).Within the limits of this pilot study it can be concluded that change in salivary pH does not influence the periodontal health status. However further studies are required to confirm our results.