Objective: The aim of this study was to determine salivary immunoglobulin A levels in people who stopped smoking for at least 2 weeks. Salivary immunoglobulin A is a primary antibody at mucosal surfaces.
Study design: Salivary immunoglobulin A levels of each of 20 subjects were determined on 3 occasions: first, while the subject was still smoking; second, 7 days after cessation of smoking; third, on the 14th day after cessation. Two control groups (with 20 people in each group) were also used: the members of the first had never smoked, and the members of the second were current smokers. Results were analyzed through use of a repeated-measures analysis of variance and the t test.
Results: Seven days after cessation of the smoking habit, a transient decrease in salivary immunoglobulin A levels was observed. However, within 14 days the levels returned to normal.
Conclusions: Salivary immunoglobulin A levels transiently decrease in people who have stopped smoking for 7 days, but they recover to normal values within 2 weeks after cessation of the habit.