Effect of scaling and root planing on salivary alkaline phosphatase and acid phosphatase in patients with chronic periodontitis

Abstract EN

Background: Chronic periodontitis affects the supporting structures of the dentition, namely, the gingiva, periodontal ligament, cementum, and alveolar bone; it arises from interactions between the host and around 700 bacterial taxa in the subgingival microbiota, and the host responses include production of different enzymes that released by stromal, epithelial, inflammatory, or bacterial cells.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of scaling and root planing on the activity level of salivary alkaline and acid phosphatase (ACP) in patients with chronic periodontitis.

Materials and Methods: The study was conducted on 60 patients, 40 were with chronic periodontitis and 20 were controlled with healthy periodontium.

Scaling and root planing were conducted for periodontitis patients, and saliva samples were collected at baseline before treatment and after 2, 4, and 6 weeks of periodontal therapy and from control patients to estimate the activity levels of alkaline and ACP.

Results: Scaling and root planing resulted in significant reduction of plaque index, gingival index, bleeding on probing, pocket depth, and clinical attachment level after 4 weeks of treatment (P < 0.01) and also reduction of activity levels of alkaline and ACP after 2 weeks of treatment and continued into 4 weeks as compared to baseline before treatment (P < 0.01, P < 0.05).

Conclusion: The activity levels of both enzymes were reduced gradually after scaling and root planing due to the reduction of inflammatory reaction and healing of periodontal tissue, so both enzymes can be used as a biomarker for periodontitis diagnosis, treatment responses, and follow-up.