Evaluation Of Salivary Albumin And Uric Acid As Biomarkers Of Healing After Scaling And Root Planing In Stage II–III, Grade B Periodontitis

Abstract

Background: Periodontitis is a biofilm-initiated, host-mediated disease in which oxidative stress (os) amplifies tissue injury. Salivary antioxidants—particularly uric acid (ua) and albumin (alb)—offer a non-invasive window into redox status and therapeutic response. Aim: The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of scaling and root planing (srp) on salivary ua and alb in patients with Stage Ii–Iii, Grade B periodontitis. Methods: A quasi-experimental, uncontrolled before-and-after study was conducted at the University Of Khartoum. Systematically healthy adults (≥18 years) with Stage Ii–Iii, Grade B periodontitis and ≥12 functional teeth were enrolled. Unstimulated saliva and full-mouth periodontal measurements were obtained at baseline and 4 weeks postsrp. Clinical indices included Plaque Index (Pi), Gingival Index (Gi), probing pocket depth (Ppd), And clinical attachment loss (Cal). Salivary ua (uricase–peroxidase) and alb (bromocresol green) were quantified spectrophotometrically. Paired t tests and Pearson correlations were applied (α=0.05). Intra-examiner reliability was strong (κ=0.8). Results: Thirty-nine patients were analyzed (51.3% male; age 18–63 years). Srp produced significant improvements in Pi, Bop, And Cal (all p=0.001); Ppd change was not significant (p=0.381). Ua showed a non-significant increase (4.25±0.95 to 4.45±1.13 mg/dl; p=0.345). Alb increased significantly (0.15±0.13 to 0.22±0.17 g/dl; p=0.009). Alb improvement was evident across age strata and in males; females showed a similar but non-significant trend. No significant correlations were found between clinical indices and antioxidant levels at either time point. Conclusions: Srp improves clinical periodontal status and enhances salivary albumin—supporting alb as a sensitive, non-invasive biomarker of short-term periodontal healing—while salivary uric acid appears less responsive over 4 weeks. Clinical Significance: Incorporating salivary alb into follow-up may augment conventional clinical monitoring after nonsurgical periodontal therapy.