Medical Journal of Babylon (Jan 2023)
Correlation of dental caries severity with physical properties of saliva in connection with nutrition status among a group of adolescent
Abstract
Background: One of the most common oral health problems in the world, dental caries, is a multifactorial sickness. Interactions between saliva, fermentable carbohydrates, acid-producing bacteria, and several host factors cause it. Objective: This study was conducted among a group of adolescents to evaluate the correlation of dental caries severity with the physical properties of saliva in connection with nutrition status among a group of adolescents. Materials and Methods: In total, 90 teenagers of both genders, aged 15, participated in the current observational (comparison) study. The participants were split into two groups: 60 had previously had caries (the study group) and 30 had not (the control group). Adolescents with diverse caries experiences were separated into two groups in accordance with World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations from 2013: 30 of them had moderately carious (1–3) teeth, and 30 had severely carious experiences (Decay-Missing-Filled Teeth [DMFT] > 10). Caries’ experience was measured using the DMFT Index. Weight, height, and body mass index (BMI) measurements were used to determine nutritional status. Based on their BMI, adolescents were categorized as having a healthy weight, being at risk of becoming overweight, or being overweight. Results: The current study’s findings show that both salivation rate and salivary and potential of hydrogen (pH) mostly decrease within nutritional status and caries severity groups but with no significant difference except in the total sample in salivation rate among nutritional status, its result is significant; also, there is a significant result between healthy and overweight in salivary flow rate, whereas other results are not significant. Conclusion: This study concluded that obesity is one of the factors responsible for deranged salivary parameters, that is, diminished stimulated salivary flow rate, buffer capacity, and salivary pH, which in turn has an adverse effect on oral health.
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