Concentration of nitric oxide in patients' saliva from various metal restorative activities in the oral cavity.
Objective. Th e aim of this paper is to determine the concentration ofnitric oxide (NO) in the saliva of subjects resulting from the presenceof various metal restorative activities in the oral cavity. Patients andmethods. Th e research was conducted on 20 subjects (12 women and8 men), aged 18-30, with no metal fi llings in their oral cavity and 20subjects (11 women and 9 men) aged 18-30 with prosthetic and conservativework in their oral cavities made of various metals. Th e pHof the saliva was established by means of an “Orion” type pH meter atan optimal temperature of 250C. Th e concentration of NO was determinedby conversion of NO3-2 into NO2-2 with the help of elementaryzinc and then by colorimetric testing of the NO2-2 concentration bymeans of the Griess reagent. Results. Our results established that theconcentration of NO in patients with various metals (60.18±10.24) is33.7% higher, which is statistically insignifi cant, in relation to the controlgroup (45.01±6.28). Conclusion. Various metal restorative activitiesstemming from dentistry practice do not cause changes in the pHvalues of saliva and NO concentrations.