Evaluation of salivary opiorphin levels in acute pericoronitis related pain

Abstract

Background: Opiorphin is a peptide that can exhibit varying concentrations in saliva in relation to pain and may serve as a potential pain biomarker. Aim: This study aimed to evaluate pain-related changes in salivary opiorphin levels in patients with acute pericoronitis. Materials and Methods: A total of 40 saliva samples were analyzed by taking two different samples from 20 patients. Non-stimulated saliva samples were collected using uncovered cotton rolls from the same patients during tooth extraction, when acute pain was present due to acute pericoronitis, and again 1 week post-extraction, after the pain had subsided. Patients’ pain levels were assessed before treatment and at a 7-day follow-up visit using a visual analog scale just before saliva sampling. Opiorphin levels in the presence and absence of pain were measured using a human opiorphin ELISA kit (Hangzhou Eastbiopharm Co., Ltd., Hangzhou, China). Statistical analyses were conducted using International Business Machines (IBM) Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) Statistics Version 25 (IBM SPSS, Chicago, IL). The opiorphin levels in samples taken from saliva before and after tooth extraction were evaluated using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). Results: Mean salivary opiorphin levels were found to differ significantly between the presence of pain due to acute pericoronitis and the pain-free period following treatment. Salivary opiorphin concentration was significantly higher before treatment (17.38 ng/ml ± 5.83 ng/ml) compared to after treatment (13.54 ng/ml ± 5.37 ng/ml). The findings of this study suggest that pain due to acute pericoronitis causes a statistically significant increase in salivary opiorphin levels (P = 0.026). Saliva samples from healthy patients with acute pericoronitis were collected at the same time of day to minimize environmental variables. The age and gender of the participants did not affect opiorphin levels before or after treatment. Conclusion: The findings of this study suggest that salivary opiorphin levels increase in the presence of pain associated with acute pericoronitis. Future studies with larger sample sizes conducted across different populations may further contribute to understanding opiorphin as a potential pain mediator.