Abstract: Am: The aim of this investigation was to evaluate the levels of IL6 in saliva using the Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) technique and to ascertain the prognostic significance of these measurements in individuals with oral leukoplakia and Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

Materials & Methods: The study included 30 participants, who were divided into three groups: OSCC (10), leukoplakia (10) and a control group of healthy individuals (10). The ELISA method was employed to analyze saliva and serum samples from each individual in all three groups. The collected data was subsequently subjected to statistical analysis for evaluation.

Results: The mean salivary IL-6 levels in the control group, leukoplakia and OSCC were 6.56 pg/mL, 34.57 pg/mL and 105.8 pg/mL, respectively. The rise in salivary IL-6 levels in OSCC was highly significant when compared to leukoplakia and the control group, with a p-value of 0.000 (p˂ 0.05). In addition, the mean salivary IL-6 levels increased across all grades of OSCC, from well-differentiated squamous cell carcinoma (WDSCC) to poorly differentiated squamous cell carcinoma (PDSCC), as well as across all grades of OED, from moderate dysplasia to severe dysplasia.

Conclusion: Salivary IL-6 levels have the potential to function as valuable prognostic biomarkers for oral leukoplakia and OSCC, indicating the potential involvement of IL-6 in the development and progression of these conditions. The non-invasive nature of salivary IL-6 renders it a valuable instrument for mass screening, rendering it a superior prognostic marker in comparison to serum IL-6.