Correlation of unstimulated and stimulated salivary flow rate in chronic periodontitis

Aim: The present study aimed at correlating the flow rate of the stimulated and unstimulated saliva in chronic periodontitis. Materials and methods: This study composed of 100 subjects between the age group of 25 years and 45 years. These subjects are categorized into four groups, placing 25 subjects in each. Group 1 with 25 healthy patients (no loss of attachment clinically), group 2 with 25 mild chronic periodontitis subjects (1–2 mm of attachment level clinically), group 3 with 25 moderate chronic periodontitis subjects (3–4 mm of attachment level clinically), group 4 with 25 severe chronic periodontitis subjects (5 mm of attachment level clinically), split method was used to collect the stimulated and unstimulated saliva. A calibrated digital balance was used to weigh the bottle before and after the collection of saliva. The result was considered to be statistically significant at a p value less than 0.05 (p <0.05). Result: The stimulated and unstimulated flow rate of saliva was high in group 1 subjects (0.920 ± 0.240, 1.366 ± 0.280) followed by group 2 subjects (0.780 ± 0.246, 0.920 ± 0.146), group 3 subjects (0.408 ± 0.132, 0.590 ± 0.110), and group 4 subjects (0.221 ± 0.348, 0.301 ± 0.216). There was a significant difference in the salivary flow rate between the groups statistically with p value 0.0001. Conclusion: The stimulated and unstimulated salivary flow rate decreased with the severity of the progression of the chronic periodontitis. Clinical significance: The importance of saliva on oral function includes antimicrobial activity, buffering function of pH, cleansing action, mastication, and swallowing. Therefore, a decrease in the ability to produce saliva leads to various oral infections.