Salivary cytokines in Sjögren disease patients and its association with caries experience, sialometry, and systemic comorbidities: a pioneering study

Objectives: Various salivary cytokines are overexpressed in the saliva of Sjögren disease patients. In addition, the levels of salivary cytokines can differ according to local and systemic conditions, besides Sjögren disease itself. This study aimed to analyze the associations and correlations of caries experience, sialometry, and systemic comorbidities with levels of the following salivary cytokines: interleukin (IL) 1β, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, TNF-α, and IL-17A among Sjögren disease patients.
Method and materials: Upon ethical approval and signed informed consent, 20 women with Sjögren disease were recruited. Clinical examinations included decayed, missing, or filled teeth (DMFT) Index measurements, sialometry, and saliva sampling. Levels of salivary cytokines IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and IL-17A were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Statistical analysis was performed using the independent-samples Mann–Whitney U test for the associations between the categorical parameters, and Spearman correlation test to analyze the correlations between continuous variables.
Results: Salivary cytokines were inter-correlated in a statistically significant manner (P .05). Age correlated with IL-17A levels (P .05), and decayed teeth correlated with IL-6, IL-8, and IL-10 (P .05). The liquid fraction in the unstimulated salivary flow rate significantly correlated with all salivary cytokines that were measured. Cardiac disease correlated with IL-10 levels, and rheumatoid arthritis correlated with IL-1β levels (P .05).
Conclusions: These results suggest that local factors such as caries experience and salivary flow rates as well as systemic factors such as comorbidities should be taken into consideration when testing the levels of salivary cytokines in Sjögren disease.