Evaluation of salivary alkaline phosphatase levels in tobacco users to determine its role as biomarker in oral potentially malignant disorders

Background: Although elevated salivary alkaline phosphatase (S-ALP) levels have been seen in oral squamous cell carcinoma, the status of S-ALP in cigarette users and those with oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMDs) is less well understood. The study's goals and objectives were to assess and compare S-ALP levels in tobacco users, nonusers, and people with OPMD. Materials and Methods: The study included 150 people who were divided into four groups: those who did not use tobacco, tobacco smokers, those who are in habit of tobacco chewing, and those who are in the habit of tobacco chewing/smoking and had a lesion. unstimulated saliva (5 mL) was collected and centrifuged for 15 minutes at 3000 rpm, and the supernatant was separated. In an automatic analyzer, S-ALP was calculated in the supernatant using the kinetic photometric method. Results: The information gathered was subjected to statistical analysis. S-ALP levels were 17.90 IU/L in healthy people who didn't smoke, 4.58 IU/L in smokers who didn't have a lesion, and 7.52 IU/L in tobacco chewers who didn't have a lesion, and 64.92 IU/L in people with OPMD. Using Kruskal–Wallis' ANOVA, the mean difference between the groups was statistically significant (P 0.001).&nbsp