Salivary parameters in patients with dental caries, obesity
Patients with dental caries and obesity may have different salivary profiles, leading clinicians to possibly be able to identify risks ahead of time.
In a study published in the Journal of Dentistry, the investigators used the PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, ProQuest Medical Database, Proquest Sci-Tech Premium and Cochrane Library databases to identify 50 observational studies focused on the salivary profiles of patients with dental caries and/or obesity.
Compared with those who didn’t have dental caries, the investigators determined that the patients with dental caries had a higher total antioxidant capacity as well as heightened levels of interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha in their unstimulated whole saliva. Additionally, the patients who were overweight or obese presented with lower unstimulated whole saliva pH values, reduced unstimulated and stimulated salivary flow rates, decreased phosphorous/phosphate levels in their stimulated whole saliva and peroxidase levels in their unstimulated and stimulated whole saliva, higher salivary levels of mutans streptococci and secretory immunoglobulin A as well as heightened total antioxidant capacity in their unstimulated whole saliva.
This early research suggested that clinicians may be able to monitor salivary parameters to help predict which patients could be at an increased risk of dental caries and obesity. Further studies are needed to better understand the associations between changes in the salivary profiles of these patients.
Read more: Journal of Dentistry
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