Effect of Prebiotics Supplements on Salivary pH and Salivary Buffer Capacity in Children with Early Childhood Caries: An In Vivo Study.

Abstract

To assess the effects of prebiotics supplements on salivary pH and salivary buffer capacity in children with early childhood caries (ECC). This study was performed on 23 samples, aged 3-6 years who received prebiotics supplements for 14 days, followed up to 3 and 6 months. Unstimulated saliva samples were collected to assess salivary pH and salivary buffer capacity using salivary check buffer kit. The data showed normal distribution; hence, parametric tests were applied. Repeated measures of analysis of variance were applied to compare the mean at the three different time intervals, followed by paired t-test for pairwise comparison. There was a highly significant difference on comparing the different parameters. Salivary pH was lowest at baseline with a mean value of 6.65 which increased at the 3-6-month follow-up to 7.00 and 7.33. Similarly, salivary buffer capacity which was 4.73 at baseline, increased at 3 months to 8.17, and at 6 months to 10.34. It can be suggested that prebiotics supplements can be adopted as a novel approach in children with ECC as a form of preventive measure to facilitate a better lifestyle. These prebiotics when taken for a period of 2 weeks increased the salivary pH as well as salivary buffer capacity when the data was compared at different time intervals emphasizing its importance, especially in children with ECC. Fernandes VA, Mata DB, Nadig B, et al. Effect of Prebiotics Supplements on Salivary pH and Salivary Buffer Capacity in Children with Early Childhood Caries: An In Vivo Study. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2024;17(1):54-58.