Salivary Malondialdehyde as a Marker of Oxidative Stress in Tobacco Chewers, with and without Oral Submucous Fibrosis: A Comparative, Cross-Sectional Biochemical Study.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to evaluate and compare salivary Malondialdehyde (MDA) levels in tobacco chewers with and without oral submucous fibrosis, and healthy individuals, and correlate the levels with stages of oral submucous fibrosis.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study was conducted in ITS-Centre for Dental Studies and Research, Ghaziabad, India which included 60 subjects divided into three groups: Group A: Healthy controls (n=20) Group B: Tobacco chewers with clinically and histopathologically confirmed Oral Submucous Fibrosis (OSMF) (n=20) Group C: Tobacco chewers without OSMF (n=20). Unstimulated whole saliva was collected, centrifuged, and stored at -20°C. Salivary MDA levels were estimated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS).

RESULTS

Salivary MDA levels were significantly higher in oral submucous fibrosis patients (mean ± SD: 49.57 ± 25.91 mmol/L) compared to tobacco chewers without oral submucous fibrosis (21.21 ± 7.76 mmol/L) and healthy individuals (10.96 ± 2.90 mmol/L),with p < 0.001. A statistically significant positive correlation was found between MDA levels and stages of oral submucous fibrosis, indicating increased oxidative stress with disease progression.

CONCLUSION

Elevated salivary MDA levels in oral submucous fibrosis patients reflect increased oxidative stress and its correlation with disease severity.