Comparison of serum and salivary folate in oral squamous cell carcinoma patients

Background: Folate is needed for sustaining the natural function of DNA methylation and nucleotide synthesis. Problems in the metabolism folate can cause abnormality in cell activity and cell proliferation. The aim of this study was to compare the folate in serum and saliva of patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and healthy subjects. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 30 patients with oral SCC referred to the ENT department and 30 healthy individuals were studied. 2 cc saliva and 5 cc venous blood were taken from participants and were evaluated with a human folate ELISIA kit. Independent t test and Pearson correlation test were performed using SPSS 17. Results: Serum folate in patients with oral SCC (8.18 +/- 4.37 ng/mL) were significantly lower than control group (10.61 +/- 5.79 ng/ mL) (P = 0.005). Salivary folate was significantly lower in patients with SCC (1.13 +/- 1.32 ng/mL) than in control group (2.84 +/- 4.40 ng/mL) (P= 0.029). Conclusion: Since the levels of serum and salivary folate in patients with oral SCC were significantly lower than that of healthy individuals, low folate levels may be associated with oral SCC.