Examining the secretor status in the saliva of patients with oral pre-cancerous lesions

It has been demonstrated in a number of earlier studies on the aetiology an d pathogenesis of certain diseases that the patients' secretor status (ABO (H) blood group antigens) may possibly be a factor influencing the developm ent of systemic oral diseases, This likelihood has prompted the present stu dy, to examine the differences in the saliva secretor status by comparing p atients with oral precancerous lesions on the one hand, and the healthy pop ulation on the other; (i) in relation to the intensity of the clinical mani festation of diseases and (ii) in relation to the intensity of epithelial d ysplasia of patients with oral pre-cancerous lesions. In total 122 subjects were examined, half of whom suffered from oral pre-cancerous lesions (excl uding Candida albicans in oral smears), while the other half were the healt hy control group. All were subjected to clinical oral examinations and stan dard evaluation tests in order to establish the secretor status of their sa liva. In the group of patients with oral precancerous lesions (experimental group), a pathohistological examination of the oral mucosa was performed. The results have demonstrated that the large majority of the people examine d in both groups were secretors and no significant difference between secre tors and non-secretors was found in the comparison between the experimental group and the healthy control group. However, (i) we found a higher intens ity of oral disease in the non-secretor group, and (ii) the occurrence of e pithelial dysplasia was found exclusively in the non-secretor group.