Objectives: Based on the consideration that precise volume quantification is a critical step in gingival crevicular fluid (GCF)-related studies and methodological designs may be a source of volumetric errors, the present study aimed to analyze the impact of transfer time of paper strips on the rate of fluid evaporation and the possibility of fluid retention during electronic volume quantification with Periotron 8000. Methods: To analyze potential time-related evaporative distortions, standardized paper strips provided with known volumes (0.1μl, 0.2μl, 0.5μl, 0.6μl) of distilled water was transferred to the device immediately or at 5 seconds, 30 seconds and 60 seconds. For the analysis of fluid retention between the counterparts of the device, after quantifying the actual volume of the strips provided with known volumes of (0.1μl and 0.6μl) either distilled water or human serum, a second reading with a dry strip to indicate the quantity of the retained fluid was achieved. Statistical analysis was performed to determine the difference in evaporation levels between various transfer times and also the presence/extent of the retained fluid. Results: Although no significant fluid loss was noticed within 5 seconds, it was observed that evaporation occured at 30 seconds (within a range of % 4.3 - % 13.73) and 60 seconds (within a range of % 7.87-% 67.44) compared to baseline. Various levels of fluid retention was noticed for both volumes and for both test fluids with significant differences between distilled water (for 0.1μl %4.12, for 0.6μl %2.52) and human serum (for 0.1μl %8.21, for 0.6μl %0.77) for equal volumes (p<0.05). Conclusion: Based on these findings, the present study may confirm that evaporation and fluid retention could lead to distortions in volumetric measures and suggest these factors as important methodological concerns for precise volume quantification in GCF-related studies.

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