Comparison of Levels of Salivary Cytokines in Diabetic and Nondiabetic Puerto Rican Children: A Case-control Pilot Study.

PURPOSE: The oral health status of children with type 1 diabetes and its relationship to salivary cytokines have been researched in only one known study. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the association between levels of salivary cytokines and gingival disease in diabetic and nondiabetic Puerto Rican children. METHODS: A matched case-control study with a convenience sample of 25 children with type 1 diabetes (cases) and 25 nondiabetic children (controls) were evaluated by a calibrated dentist for oral health indices. A five-ml stimulated saliva sample was taken from each subject and analyzed to determine cytokine levels (IL-6, IL-17, IP-10, TNF-alpha, MMP-2, MMP-9, CRP). Descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and t tests were used. RESULTS: Diabetic children are observed to have more plaque than control children (P=.007), more calculus (P=.06), and more bleeding on probing (P=.001). Only the level of the mediator IL-17 (P=.002) was higher in diabetic children than in nondiabetic children, but no significant differences were observed in the levels of other cytokines between the two groups. However, for each salivary mediator evaluated, diabetic children had higher levels of the respective mediator. CONCLUSION: Salivary cytokines levels were higher in diabetic type 1 children than in nondiabetic children.