ABSTRAK
An increase in lipid peroxidation and a decrease in antioxidant activity have been reported in patients with cancer in comparison with normal subjects. Objective: To estimate the status of serum and saliva by assessing the serum and salivary vitamin E levels in patients with oral potentially malignant disorders and oral cancer. Methods: A total of 90 participants were enrolled in this study. 30 subjects with oral potentially malignant disorders, 30 subjects with oral cancer, and 30 healthy subjects (controls). Serum and saliva samples were collected and vitamin E levels were assessed. The data were analyzed using ANOVA for between group comparison. Post hoc Tukey analysis was used for comparing the two study groups with the control group. Pearson correlation coeffcient was used to determine concordance between the groups. Results: Mean vitamin E levels in serum and saliva were signifcantly decreased in oral potentially malignant disorders and oral cancer compared with controls. Conclusion: As signifcant reduction in vitamin E levels was observed in saliva, it was evident that salivary vitamin E levels potentially be used as a reliable, non invasive biomarker for diagnosing and managing oral potentially malignant disorders and oral cancer.