Comparison of Oral Health Status and Saliva CRP Levels In Autistic and Non-Autistic Individuals

摘要

Autism is a neurodevelopment disorder characterized by impaired social interaction and behaviour which can have adverse influence on dental care and oral health in the affected individuals. C - Reactive Protein (CRP) is a biomarker of inflammation with clinical utility in inflammation assessment and disease management. The present study was undertaken to assess and compare the oral health status and saliva CRP levels in autistic individuals and non-autistic individuals. 20 autistic and 20 healthy non-autistic individuals were examined for oral health status, oral hygiene index and their saliva CRP concentrations were estimated using ELISA method. Oral health status of autistic group was found to be similar to that of non-autistic group. However, saliva CRP levels were found to be significantly elevated in autistic individuals compared to non-autistic individuals (p=0.014). Elevated saliva CRP levels in autistic individuals demonstrated in the present study indicates the presence of underlying systemic inflammatory process and has important implication for elaborating the role of immune system dysfunction in autism. It may be concluded that increased saliva CRP level has the potential to serve as a marker for the diagnosis of autism.