Individuals with Down syndrome (DS) present increased susceptibility to infections and high prevalence of periodontal disease. The objective of this study is to evaluate the salivary concentrations of IL-1?, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, TNF? and IL-12p70 of DS individuals and compare to cerebral palsy (CP) and normoactive patients (all with gingivitis). Twenty-two individuals with DS, 24 with CP and 22 normoactive participated in this cross-sectional study. Salivary flow rate, osmolality rate, Oral Hygiene Index, Gingival Index (GI) and salivary inflammatory markers IL-1?, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, TNF? and IL-12p70 were evaluated. Shapiro-Wilks, Chi-square, ANOVA One-Way and Kruskal Wallis tests were applied with significance level at 5%. The groups were homogenous for gender, age, and IL12p70 cytokine (p>0.05). GI was significantly higher in DS compared to CP and healthy (p<0.05). CP presented reduced salivary flow and increased osmolality rate. CP showed significantly higher values for TNF?, IL10, and IL6 compared to DS and normoactive (p<0.05). DS and CP presented significantly higher values of IL-1? and IL8 compared to normoactive (p<0.05). Individuals with CP have higher risk to develop periodontal disease due to reduced salivary flow rate, increased salivary osmolality rate and elevated TNF?, IL-10, IL-6 compared to DS.