MMP8 and periodontitis: In all periodontitis groups, the salivary levels of MMP-8 determined through ELISA technique revealed a significant increase (p < 0.05) in phase 2, after the induction of periodontal disease (6.078 ng/mL, SD ± 1.684), compared with phase 1 (4.293 ng/mL, SD ± 0.788).