Salivary Alkaline Phosphatase as a Noninvasive Marker for Periodontal Disease in Children with Uncontrolled Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this pilot study was to determine whether salivary alkaline phosphatase levels can be a non invasive marker for early inflammatory periodontal disease in children with uncontrolled type 1 diabetes mellitus.

STUDY DESIGN: 10 healthy children (group 1), 10 children with recently diagnosed type 1 diabetes mellitus (group 2) and 10 children with type 1 diabetes mellitus for more than 4 years (group 3) were recruited for the study. All three groups were matched for age, gender and socioeconomic status. Periodontal health was assessed by plaque index, gingival index and probing pocket depth. Metabolic status was assessed by glycosylated hemoglobin levels, salivary alkaline phosphatase levels were determined by spectrophotometer. Data was analyzed by Kruskal Wallis ANOVA, Mann-Whitney U test and Spearman's rank correlation method.

RESULTS: Salivary alkaline phosphatase levels correlated significantly with the periodontal parameters in the diabetic group. An increase in salivary alkaline phosphatase levels increased with increased values of gingival index and probing pocket depth. Group 3 showed greater correlation than group 2 and group 1. At p value p<0.05.

CONCLUSION: The glycemic status of the children affects the periodontal disease parameters. Salivary alkaline phosphatase levels could be a useful tool in analyzing periodontal status of children with uncontrolled type I diabetes mellitus.