Monitoring Salivary Levels of Interleukin 1 Beta (IL-1 β) and Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) for Two Years of Orthodontic Treatment: A Prospective Pilot Study

The salivary levels of both IL-1β and VEGF increased following orthodontic treatment and reached their peaks during the treatment stage of space closure. This novel approach provides a hint on how and when to sample saliva during orthodontic treatment to analyse bone remodelling.

A gradual increase in IL-1β and VEGF was observed at alignment, reaching significance at space closure (p = 0.002 and p = 0.025, respectively). At finishing, both IL-1β and VEGF declined, however, without reverting to baseline values (p = 0.172 and p = 0.207, respectively). Bland-Altman analysis showed the agreement between IL-1β and VEGF in terms of a systematic increase, with a higher percentage difference for VEGF. Conclusions: The salivary levels of both IL-1β and VEGF increased following orthodontic treatment and reached their peaks during the treatment stage of space closure. This novel approach provides a hint on how and when to sample saliva during orthodontic treatment to analyse bone remodelling.