Concentrations of selected elements in saliva among a group of adolescent girls in relation to severity of caries and selected salivary parameters

Abstract

Background: Saliva is one of the most important etiological host factors in relation to dental caries. It affects thecarious process by its organic and inorganic constituents; in addition to its physiological functions as (flow rate, pHand buffer capacity). The aims of this study were to determine the concentrations of major elements (calcium andphosphorus) and trace elements (ferrous iron, nickel, chromium and aluminum) in saliva among a group ofadolescent girls, and to explore the relation of these elements, flow rate and pH with dental caries.Material & Methods: The study group consisted of 25 girls with an age of 13-15 years old. Dental caries was diagnosedby both clinical and radiographical examinations following the criteria of D1-4MFS index. Stimulated saliva wascollected from patients between 9-11 Am under standarized conditions, and chemically analyzed to determine theconcentration of calcium, nickel, chromium and aluminum by Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer, while salivaryphosphorus and ferrous iron were determined by using colorimetric method. The average salivary flow rate wasmeasured from total volume, and salivary pH was determined using digital pH meter. All data were analyzed usingSPSS version 19.Results: All elements measured in saliva in addition to P/Ca ratio recorded statistically non significant correlation withDMFS, except ferrous Fe ions which showed statistically significant correlation (r= 0.34, P=0.05). Salivary flow rate andpH correlated weakly and statistically not significant with DMFSThere were weak and statistically not significant correlations between all elements measured in saliva and salivaryflow rate and pH.Conclusions: It had been found that Fe, Ni, Al and Cr ions present in very small amounts in saliva in comparison to Caand P ions. The presence of these elements in saliva may indicate their presence in food, water and air