Comparison of Salivary Iron and Total Iron-Binding Capacity Levels Between Patients With Iron Deficiency Anemia and Healthy Individuals

Background: According to the high prevalence of iron (Fe) deficiency anemia, it is highly important to reach simple and cost-effective methods for accurate diagnosis. Considering that saliva, as a diagnostic substance is of great value, the present study aimed to compare the amount of salivary Fe and total iron-binding capacity (TIBC) levels of patients with Fe deficiency anemia and healthy individuals. Methods: In this descriptive-analytic cross-sectional study, thirty 20-40-year-old women participated in case (patients with anemia) and control (healthy individuals) groups. After collecting the serum and saliva samples of each participant, Fe and TIBC levels were measured in µg/dL. Data were analyzed using SPSS with Kolmogorov-Smirnov, t test and Pearson correlation tests at the significant level of 0.05. Results: The mean age of the participants of the case and control groups was 31.25 and 30.6, respectively. The average amounts of salivary Fe and TIBC of patients with Fe deficiency were 28.60 and 610.00 µg/dL, respectively. Further, the means of salivary Fe and TIBC of the control group were 78.80 and 290.00 µg/dL, respectively. Based on the results, the serum Fe and TIBC of anemic patients were 27.05 and 589.70 µg/ dL, whereas the means of the serum Fe and TIBC of the control group were 80.27 and 286.80, respectively. There were significant differences between both salivary and serum values of the Fe and TIBC of case and control groups (P<0.05). Furthermore, the relationship between the serum and salivary levels of Fe and TIBC were positive and significant (P<0.05). Conclusions: Based on the results of the present study, significant changes were found in the salivary amount of the Fe and TIBC of patients with Fe deficiency anemia corresponding to the serum levels of Fe and TIBC, thus saliva could be considered as a diagnostic substance for the detection of Fe deficiency anemia.