Increased levels of calprotectin in the saliva of patients with geographic tongue

Objective We investigated whether patients with geographic tongue have increased salivary levels of calprotectin and whether there is a correlation between the salivary levels of calprotectin and interleukin 8 (IL-8), which is another marker of inflammation. Methods Twenty-three patients diagnosed with geographic tongue and 32 control subjects without oral mucosal lesions were included in the study. The patients with geographic tongue were classified based on clinical appearance and number of oral lesions. ELISAs were used to determine the levels of calprotectin and IL-8 in whole saliva samples. Results There was a statistically significant increase in the salivary output of calprotectin in patients with geographic tongue compared with the healthy controls (62 +/- 9,1 vs. 37,5 +/- 4,7 mu g/min; p = .0134). Furthermore, the levels of calprotectin correlated positively with the number of oral lesions in patients with geographic tongue. There was also a significant and positive correlation between the salivary levels of calprotectin and IL-8, both for the patients with geographic tongue and the controls. Conclusion This study supports the notion that GT is an inflammatory disease, in which the activation of neutrophils and production of calprotectin in the saliva may play roles in its pathogenesis.