Investigation of saliva of patients with periodontal disease using NAA

In this study the non-stimulated whole saliva of 26 healthy subjects (mean age 33.9 +/- 11.0 years, range: 26 to 49 years) and 11 patients with periodontal disease (mean age 41.7 +/- 11.5 years; range 29 to 55 years) was investigated using Neutron Activation Analysis (NAA) technique. The samples were obtained from donors at Sao Paulo city (Brazil). The analyses were performed in the nuclear reactor IEA-R1 (3.5-4.5MW, pool type) at IPEN/CNEN-SP (Brazil). Considerable changes in Ca and S saliva's level were identified in patients with periodontal disease suggesting they can be used as monitors of periodontal diseases.