TITLE:
Salivary flow rates, per se, may not serve as consistent predictors for dental caries
AUTHORS:
Cynthia P. Trajtenberg, Juliana A. Barros, Shalizeh A. Patel, Leslie Miles, Charles F. Streckfus
KEYWORDS:
Salivary Glands; Saliva; Caries; Aging; Medications
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Stomatology,
Vol.3 No.2,
May
28,
2013
ABSTRACT: Background: This clinical study evaluated the
effects of salivary flow rate, age, race, health status and medications on
the incidence of caries. Methods:Cauca-sian and African-American men and women (n = 501), aged 22-93 years participated in the study. Stimulated (S) and unstimulated
(U) parotid (P) and submandibular glands (SM) salivary secretions were collected.
Stimulated whole saliva (SWS) was collected as control. Glandular stimulation
was achieved using 2% citric acid at 30-second intervals to the dorsal surface
of the tongue. Salivary flow rates (SFR) were calculated by total weight of
saliva divided by 5 minutes and expressed in ml/minute. Coronal caries were
scored using the NIDR DMFS index. Carious lesions were classified according to
tooth surfaces by a calibrated single examiner. Spearman correlation coefficients
were calculated to determine the association between SFR with age and
percentage of carious teeth. Multiple regression analyses were calculated at (p