Abstract
Salivary biomolecules are considered important modulators of the oral microflora, with a potential subsequent impact on dental health. The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between salivary enzymatic activity and carious experience in children. The carious experience of a sample of 22 school children was evaluated by calculating dmf/DMF indices, following WHO recommendations. Unstimulated whole saliva was collected, and salivary alpha-amylase levels, total protease activity, and matrix metalloproteinase levels (MMP-8 and MMP-9) were measured. The data were analyzed using parametric and nonparametric tests. Our findings revealed no significant relationship between the investigated salivary parameters and the carious experience in permanent teeth (DMFT/DMFS scores). Carious indices scores for primary teeth (dmft and dmfs) were positively associated with MMP-8 levels (r = 0.62, p = 0.004 and rs = 0.61, p = 0.006, respectively) and MMP-9 levels (r = 0.45, p = 0.05 and rs = 0.48, p = 0.039, respectively) and negatively associated with alpha-amylase levels (rs = −0.54, p = 0.017 and rs = −0.59, p = 0.006, respectively). Although with a marginal significance, PEK−054 levels positively correlated with dental caries, while for PFU−089, a negative correlation was observed. These results suggest that salivary alpha-amylase and MMP-8 and MMP-9 levels may be considered potential indicators of carious experience in children. Further studies with a prospective design are needed in order to elucidate the role of these biomolecules in caries development.
Highlights
Regardless of the abundance of resources available, as well as worldwide agreed-upon recommendations and guidelines, dental caries is still a major public health challenge.It remains one of the most prevalent non-communicable chronic diseases, despite being completely preventable and manageable [1–3]
The majority of the children had mixed dentition at the time of the examination (77.27%, n = 17), while primary dentition was found in two children (9.09%), and permanent dentition in three children (13.64%)
Our findings revealed no significant relationship between the investigated salivary parameters and carious experience in permanent teeth
Summary
Regardless of the abundance of resources available, as well as worldwide agreed-upon recommendations and guidelines, dental caries is still a major public health challenge. It remains one of the most prevalent non-communicable chronic diseases, despite being completely preventable and manageable [1–3]. Dental caries affects all age categories and has a major impact on an individual’s quality of life and general health. In particular, are directly affected by the consequences of untreated caries, often complicated by the loss of pulp vitality, which can have functional, aesthetic, physical, and psychological impacts [4]. It has been shown that children affected by dental caries are prone to have poorer school attendance rates and performances, as well as compromised social interactions [5]
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