Salivary melatonin is depleted in patients with dental caries due to the elevated oxidative stress

OBJECTIVES: To determine salivary melatonin and malondialdehyde levels in individuals with and without dental caries. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Saliva samples were collected in a fasting state from patients with active dental caries (n ​= ​16) and patients without dental caries (n ​= ​16). Melatonin was measured in the samples using a commercially available ELISA kit and malondialdehyde was assayed using a standardized spectrophotometric method. RESULTS: The salivary melatonin levels were significantly lower (p ​