The Effect of Saliva and Dental Caries of the Patients with Hashimoto Thyroiditis on Cytokine Levels

A BSTRACT Background: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of dental caries and oral health of patients on salivary cytokine levels with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HT). Material and Methods: The study included 30 patients (n = 30) diagnosed with HT. The standardization of the participants was achieved with specific biochemical parameters, and the sociodemographic information of the patients was obtained through anamnesis. A pH meter was employed for salivary pH measurement. After determining the oral problems of the patients, necessary treatments were applied. Following 3 months of treatment, saliva samples were taken to evaluate cytokine levels (TNF-α, IL-6, IL-8, and CRP) and for ELISA analyses. The Wilcoxon test was used for pairwise comparison of nonparametric data, and the Chi-square test was employed to analyze categorical variables at P < 0.05. Results: There was a significant decrease in salivary TNF-α, IL-6, IL-8, and CRP levels between the measurements before and after 3 months of treatment ( P < 0.05). In addition, a significant increase was found in salivary pH ( P < 0.05). Conclusions: The salivary cytokine levels decrease and the inflammatory response improves when the inflammation in the periodontal tissues and dental caries is treated.