A preliminary study on the relationship between stimulated saliva and periodontal conditions in community-dwelling elderly people

Objectives The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between flow rate and spinnbarkeit of stimulated whole saliva and periodontal conditions in healthy elderly people. Methods Three hundred and fifty-five dentate subjects aged 76 years were included. The pocket probing depth (PD), attachment level (AL), and bleeding on probing (BOP) were measured. Stimulated whole saliva was collected and the salivary flow rate (SFR) was calculated. Then, salivary spinnbarkeit (SS) was immediately measured. Results The mean SFR and SS were 1.44 ml/min and 1.91 mm, respectively. SFR was not significantly related to each periodontal parameter. On the other hand, subjects with SS ≤ 2.00 mm had a significantly lower mean AL (p < 0.05). When subjects were divided into four groups according to a combination of SFR and SS, subjects with SFR < 0.7 ml/min and SS > 2.00 mm exhibited a significantly higher mean PD (p < 0.05), % of sites with PD ≥ 4 mm (p < 0.05), mean AL (p < 0.01), % of site with AL ≥ 4 mm (p < 0.05) and % of sites with AL ≥ 6 mm (p < 0.01) than subjects in the other three groups (one-way ANOVA). In the logistic regression analysis, the factors significantly associated with the highest quintile of PD ≥ 4 mm were: the low salivary flow and the high salivary spinnbarkeit (OR 3.84), current smokers (OR 5.08), cleaning interdental spaces rarely/never (OR 2.12), and frequent BOP (OR 5.20). Conclusion These findings suggest that high salivary spinnbarkeit in addition to a low salivary flow rate might be a high risk for periodontal disease in elderly people.