Effect of Orthodontic Treatment on Salivary Immunoglobulin A Levels among a group of healthy Egyptian Children

It has been reported that the immune system undergoes changes due to various factors, inflammation, surgery, medication, age and gender. The aim of this study was to investigate changes of salivary IgA (S-IgA) among healthy subjects undergoing active orthodontic treatment with fixed and removable appliance. The levels of S- IgA were determined before, 3 and 6 months after active orthodontic treatment. A total of 38 healthy individuals (aged 8-14 years) were enrolled in the study. They were divided into two equal groups. Group A were treated with fixed orthodontic appliances and group B were treated with removable orthodontic appliances. Two milliliters of saliva were collected from all participants before ,three and six months after treatment. Salivary IgA levels were measured by the ELISA technique. Results: The average values of S-IgA in the saliva of group A and group B three and six months after treatment were (160.4 ±3.5 and162.0±3.3 µg/ml) and (145.8 ±6.0 and 146.7±5.2 µg/ml), respectively. The average values of S-IgA in the saliva in both group A and group B showed statistically significant higher values after treatment than before. The average values of S-IgA in group A showed statistically significant higher values than those of group B. There was no significant differences between both groups regarding age and sex. Conclusions: The average values of S-IgA in both group A and group B showed statistically significant higher values after treatment than before. The average values of S-IgA in group A showed statistically significant higher values than those of group B. Removable and fixed orthodontic appliances appeared to be a local immunogenic factor, which provided a stronger stimulus for oral secretory immunity. There isa significant positive correlation between S-IgA and