Salivary glutathione versus selenium as an oral cancer risk biomarker: A case–control study

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the most common oral cancer worldwide, with a high mortality that is associated with a delay in diagnosis, especially in areas with poorly developed health infrastructure. The purpose of this study is to determine if salivary glutathione and selenium levels are significantly different between oral cancer patients and healthy subjects. Levels of salivary glutathione, a biomarker of oxidative stress seen in oral cancer and selenium, which augments its function, were compared in healthy low-risk (control), healthy high-risk and oral cancer patients. A reduced level of glutathione was found in oral cancer cases (5.047 ± 0.5115 µM) compared to healthy high-risk patients (5.273 ± 0.3240 µM) and healthy low-risk control subjects (5.618 ± 0.5213 µM), while salivary selenium levels were elevated in oral cancer and healthy high-risk groups compared to healthy low-risk controls. Salivary glutathione level could be a predictor of risk of oral cancer and as a marker for assessment of the effectiveness of management of oral cancer cases, towards improved patient care.