Antimicrobial agents (antibody and non-antibody) present in human saliva protect oral tissues by a variety of mechanisms, such as prevention of bacterial adhesion, agglutination of micro-organisms, and inhibition of multiplication and metabolism. However, studies in which the concentrations of various salivary antimicrobial agents have been correlated to the presence and severity of oral diseases--of dental caries, in particular--have produced controversial data, and it seems evident, also on the basis of the present study, that no single salivary antimicrobial factor (except flow rate) affects oral health to a significant degree. In the present study, we report the levels of some selected salivary antimicrobial agents in predentate and dentate human infants, with a comparison to the levels found in young adults' saliva. Salivary lysozyme, peroxidase, and hypothiocyanite concentrations were already at the adult level at the time when the primary teeth erupt, whereas immunoglobulin (IgA, IgG, and IgM), lactoferrin, myeloperoxidase, and thiocyanate concentrations were significantly lower in children than in adults. Dentate children had more IgG, thiocyanate, and protein in whole saliva than did predentate children.

The effect of extrinsic asthma on periodontal conditions was studied in a group of 30 asthmatic children. Clinical examination revealed that asthmatic children had more gingivitis than their healthy controls. The asthmatic children who received an inhaled corticosteroid as treatment had more severe gingivitis compared with asthmatic children on disodium cromoglycate treatment. The amount of plaque was not altered. The peroxidase activity was assessed from whole saliva. The results revealed that this defense mechanism was not altered in asthma. An enzyme group which is involved in inflammation, the arginine aminopeptidases, was found to be slightly elevated in the gingival fluid of asthmatic children. The results indicate that gingival inflammation is increased in asthma.

To study the salivary response in asthma and periodontitis, calcium and phosphorus concentrations were determined from parotid and whole saliva. The IgE and histamine concentrations and the activities of lysozyme and arginine aminopeptidases were assayed from whole saliva. The values were compared with those obtained from matched healthy controls (n = 20 in each group). In whole saliva the phosphorus concentrations were elevated in the asthma group and the calcium concentrations in the periodontitis group. Regarding parotid saliva no significant differences between the groups were observed. The results indicate that in patients with asthma the IgE concentrations in whole saliva were elevated, while in patients with periodontitis and in healthy controls no detectable values were obtained. Both histamine and lysozyme concentrations seemed to increase in the asthma and periodontitis groups. A slight increase was also observed in the arginine aminopeptidase activities in the saliva of patients with asthma and patients with periodontitis.

In the present study the concentrations of IgE and histamine were determined in gingival tissue of patients with asthma (N = 15), patients with periodontitis (N = 21) and healthy controls (N = 18). Gingival IgE concentrations in the asthma group were markedly elevated confirming the results obtained in previous studies on salivary IgE concentrations. An increase of IgE was also observed in the periodontitis group. Histamine concentrations in the asthma group did not differ from the healthy controls, while in the periodontitis group a significant decrease in gingival histamine concentrations was found.

In order to assess whether copper amalgam accumulates less bacterial plaque than silver amalgam, 14 copper amalgam cervical restorations were placed in 10 patients. Control silver amalgam fillings were placed in homologous teeth of the same jaw. To evaluate the amount of plaque, the stained areas on the amalgams were analyzed from photographs with a planimetric method. Further quantitative analyses of plaque growth on copper amalgam were carried out with microbiological methods, for which a new group of 10 patients was selected. Cervical cavities were prepared on both sides of the jaw. Specimens of copper amalgam and silver amalgam restorations were placed on opposite sides. The plaque was collected after 2 and 3 days and cultivated under aerobic and anaerobic conditions on blood agar plates and on Mitis Salivarius Agar. The results of both methods show a very significant inhibition of plaque growth on copper amalgam. These results were confirmed by scanning electron micrographs which showed that copper amalgam only had plaque on small areas. The plaque appeared in band formations arranged irregularly on the surface. Higher magnifications revealed a filamentous structure with predominating coccoid organisms. Scanning electron micrographs also showed that pellicle formation, which is considered to be necessary for bacterial adherence to the surface, took place on both amalgams.

Whole saliva of 30 children with extrinsic asthma was analyzed for IgA, IgG and IgE. Salivary albumin concentrations were also determined. The values were compared with those obtained from matched healthy controls. The salivary IgG, IgA and albumin values did not differ from their healthy controls. The IgE concentrations of the asthmatic children, however, were significantly higher. Those children who had recently received hyposensitization therapy showed slightly elevated values of IgE in their saliva. The different medication of the children with asthma did not affect any of the immunoglobulins studied.

Grevicular fluid (GF) analysis is a potential tool for site-speciflc diagnosis of periodontal disease activity. In this study, GE was collected using a novel washing method from 91 sites in 18 adult periodontitis patients both before and after conventional periodontal treatment. The sites studied were classified according to their clinical status and the number of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN's) in GE samples. GF proteins were analyzed from individual sites with gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). Furthermore, both the cell-bound and soluble neutral proteolytie activities of the samples were determined. Albumin was the main protein both in healthy and slightly inflamed sites. The most severely inflamed sites were characterized by high levels of low molecular weight (LMW) proteins (mol. weight ca. 12 000) and strong cell-bound neutral proteolytie activity. Scaling and root planing reduced both the LMW proteins and neutral proteolytie activity markedly in pockets responding well to treatment. The levels ofthe LMW proteins in GF correlated with the cell-bound neutral proteolytie activity, which reflected the number of PMN's in the sample. The present results suggest that the appearance of the LMW proteins in GF is associated with the periodontal inflammatory status of the site.

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