A biochemical study to assess and compare salivary magnesium levels in periodontal health and diseases

Background: Chronic magnesium (Mg) deficiency has been associated with a number of chronic systemic diseases, including osteoporosis, hypertension, diabetes and coronary heart disease. Mg may also alter the course and outcome of the periodontal disease. Aim: To evaluate salivary Mg levels in healthy individuals and patients with chronic gingivitis and chronic periodontitis (CP). Materials and Methods: A total of 150 individuals were selected randomly, which included both males and females with age range between 20 and 45 years. Periodontal status was recorded using the following parameters − gingival index, plaque index, oral hygiene index − simplified and clinical attachment loss. Following periodontal examination, individuals were divided into three groups as follows: Group 1: (n = 50) − comprised of healthy individuals; Group 2: (n = 50) − comprised of patients with gingivitis; Group 3: (n = 50) − comprised of patients with CP. The unstimulated saliva samples from the study individuals were collected and subjected to the estimation of salivary Mg levels using Abcam’s Mg assay kit and Erba EM 360 fully automated auto analyzer (Erba Diagnostic, Mannheim, Germany). Results: In this study, there was an increase in salivary Mg level with increasing severity of the periodontal disease. A significant increase in salivary Mg levels was recorded in patients with gingivitis (1.66 ± 0.28 mg/dl) and periodontitis (2.05 ± 0.66 mg/dl) as compared to healthy individuals (1.35 ± 0.28 mg/dl). Conclusion: Salivary Mg does not play an active role in the modulation of periodontal disease process and, hence, cannot be used as a reliable biomarker associated with periodontal health and disease.