Estimation of Salivary pH, Salivary Amylase in Patients with Oral cancer, Pre and Postoperatively -A Comparative Study

Abstract

Introduction: Saliva has been studied for so long and it almost stands hand in hand with other diagnostic tests which could possibly replace blood in disease diagnosis and monitoring. Salivary pH and salivary amylase levels are an excellent predictor of the oral environment and salivary gland health, hence, estimating these characteristics is a reasonable method of assessing a patient’s risk of disease onset, severity, and prognosis. Aims: The aim of the study was to compare salivary pH, salivary amylase, pre and postoperatively in oral cancer patients. Study Design:  The study is a comparative study. Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted in the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Yenepoya Dental College, Mangalore between October 2020 and October 2021. Methodology: We included 24 patients (20 men, 4 women; age range 40-70 years) who were histopathologically confirmed oral cancer patients. For every patient saliva was collected preoperatively on the day of surgery and postoperatively 5 days after the surgery. Salivary pH was measured using pH meter and salivary amylase was measured using color spectrophotometry. Results:  A significant increase in salivary pH was observed post operatively (7.07) as compared to the preoperative values (6.63). A significant decrease in salivary amylase value was observed post operatively (147.13) as compared to preoperative values(147.88) both salivary pH and salivary amylase values were statistically significant. Conclusion: There was an increase in salivary pH postoperatively and decrease in salivary amylase levels in postoperatively. However, an increase in sample size with further research should be carried out to further authenticate the study.