TABLE 4.
Characteristics of salivary biomarkers in stimulated whole saliva samples from patients with burning mouth symptoms; median [IQR].
| Primary (n = 48) a | Intermediate (n = 24) a | Secondary (n = 20) a | p Value | p Value | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Median [IQR] | n | Median [IQR] | n | Median [IQR] | n | P vs. S | P vs. I | S vs. I | ||
| Flow rate (mL/min) | 0.71 [0.55] | 48 | 0.86 [0.76] | 24 | 0.71 [0.89] | 20 | 0.955 | 0.957 | 0.816 | 0.750 |
| Transferrin (mg/dL) | 0.53 [0.50] | 48 | 0.49 [0.74] | 24 | 0.38 [0.61] | 20 | 0.762 | 0.623 | 0.725 | 0.458 |
| Total protein (mg/mL) | 1.21 [0.48] | 48 | 1.43 [0.72] | 24 | 1.26 [0.72] | 20 | 0.234 | 0.941 | 0.085 | 0.268 |
| Inflammatory marker | ||||||||||
| CRP (pg/mL) | 323.7 [1392.2] | 48 | 473.1 [915.8] | 24 | 561.5 [1488.7] | 20 | 0.930 | 0.706 | 0.957 | 0.777 |
| IL‐1β (pg/mL) | 360.7 [396.7] | 48 | 188.6 [325.0] | 22 | 277.8 [316.5] | 19 | 0.575 | 0.381 | 0.418 | 0.896 |
| IL‐6 (pg/mL) | 2.77 [2.58] | 48 | 3.82 [3.98] | 22 | 3.07 [2.64] | 18 | 0.298 | 0.604 | 0.134 | 0.328 |
| Oxidative stress marker | ||||||||||
| 8‐OHdG (ng/mL) | 10.9 [6.6] | 48 | 11.7 [11.7] | 22 | 11.5 [10.8] | 18 | 0.959 | 0.796 | 0.960 | 0.786 |
| MDA (pmol/mL) | 55.1 [185.4] | 48 | 52.7 [184.9] | 22 | 67.3 [379.7] | 18 | 0.905 | 0.840 | 0.800 | 0.605 |
| TAC (mmol/L) | 1.97 [0.81] | 48 | 2.18 [0.99] | 22 | 1.78 [1.04] | 18 | 0.155 | 0.555 | 0.092 | 0.103 |
| Hormones | ||||||||||
| Cortisol (μg/dL) | 0.14 [0.10] | 48 | 0.16 [0.17] | 21 | 0.10 [0.11] | 18 | 0.105 | 0.036* | 0.860 | 0.108 |
| DHEA (pg/mL) | 44.8 [51.5] | 47 | 44.1 [69.9] | 24 | 21.3 [23.3] | 20 | 0.094 | 0.039* | 0.770 | 0.077 |
| Cortisol/DHEA ratio | 34.1 [68.9] | 47 | 38.5 [77.9] | 21 | 46.7 [64.8] | 18 | 0.806 | 0.860 | 0.503 | 0.735 |
| Progesterone (pg/mL) | 24.3 [30.0] | 47 | 18.2 [40.0] | 24 | 15.4 [25.4] | 20 | 0.546 | 0.273 | 0.593 | 0.654 |
| 17β‐Estradiol (pg/mL) | 1.02 [0.86] | 47 | 1.16 [1.03] | 24 | 0.92 [0.94] | 20 | 0.164 | 0.551 | 0.155 | 0.056 |
Note: The analysis results were not obtained for some biomarkers because of a shortage of saliva samples. The Kruskal–Wallis test was used for continuous variables to analyze differences across the three groups, and the Mann–Whitney U‐test was used for continuous variables between the groups.
Abbreviations: CRP, C‐reactive protein; DHEA, dehydroepiandrosterone; I, intermediate type of burning mouth syndrome (BMS); IL, interleukin; IQR, interquartile range; MDA, malondialdehyde; 8‐OHdG, 8‐hydroxy‐2′‐deoxyguanosine; P, primary type of BMS; S, secondary type of BMS; TAC, total antioxidant capacity.
Stimulated whole saliva samples were not collected in one patient in the secondary group who could not chew the paraffin wax because of missing posterior teeth. Two saliva samples in the primary group and three in the intermediate group were excluded from the analyses because of the high levels of blood contamination (transferrin ≥2.0 mg/dL) in the saliva samples.
p < 0.05.