# Salivary carcinoembryonic antigen in desquamative gingivitis: A comparative study in oral lichenoid reactions before and after topical corticosteroid therapy

## TL;DR

This study found that salivary carcinoembryonic antigen levels decrease after corticosteroid treatment in patients with desquamative gingivitis linked to oral lichenoid reactions.

## Contribution

The study shows that topical corticosteroid therapy reduces salivary CEA levels in desquamative gingivitis patients.

## Key findings

- CEA levels were significantly higher in desquamative gingivitis patients before treatment compared to healthy controls.
- Topical corticosteroid therapy significantly reduced salivary CEA levels in patients with desquamative gingivitis.
- The decrease in CEA levels suggests a potential link between inflammation and tumor marker expression in this condition.

## Abstract

Desquamative gingivitis is an immunological chronic disease that is considered precancerous and has the potential to develop into squamous cell carcinoma. Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), a common tumor marker, increases in many cancers. The present study compared salivary CEA levels in desquamative gingivitis before and after topical corticosteroid therapy.

This case‒control study was conducted in the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Medicine, Tabriz Faculty of Dentistry. Twenty patients with desquamative gingivitis in oral lichen planus (OLP) background were selected as the case group, with 20 healthy individuals as the control group. Desquamative gingivitis lesions were confirmed with biopsies. Salivary samples were obtained from both groups. Second, salivary samples were collected from the case group after a course of topical corticosteroid therapy. Salivary CEA levels were measured by a monobind kit using the ELISA method. Independent and paired t-tests were used to analyze the data in SPSS 17. P<0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Before treatment, CEA levels were significantly higher in the case group (174.06±95.55) than in the control group (55.66±41.26 ng/mL) (P<0.001). Salivary CEA levels in the case group decreased significantly after the treatment (96.77±66.25 ng/mL) compared to before treatment (174.06±95.55 ng/mL) (P<0.001).

This study demonstrated that CEA levels significantly decreased in patients with desquamative gingivitis associated with oral lichenoid reaction after receiving topical corticosteroid therapy.