Original Research Article
Year: 2017 | Month: June | Volume: 7 | Issue: 6 | Pages: 125-134
The Relationship between Salivary IgA Level and Dental Caries in Healthy School-Aged Children in Makkah Al-Mukarramah
Ghofran Mohammed Badabaan1, Dr. Abla A. Arafa2
16th-year Dental Student at College of Dentistry, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, Saudi Arabia.
2Assistant Professor at Pediatric Dentistry and Dental Public Health Department, Faculty of Dentistry, Misr International University, Egypt at Sabbatical Leave to Umm Al-Qura University, Saudi Arabia.
Corresponding Author: Ghofran Mohammed Badabaan
ABSTRACT
Introduction: Dental caries is considered to be a multifactorial disease, and it affects 60-90% of school-aged children worldwide. Salivary IgA is considered the first line of defense against pathogenic bacteria and their secretions.
Controversial conclusions have been reported regarding the relationship between salivary IgA and dental caries activity; some studies demonstrated high concentrations of salivary IgA in a lower caries activity. Other studies showed high levels of salivary IgA with an increase in caries activity. Some authors did not observe any correlation.
Aim: The aim of the present study is to assess the relation between the level of salivary IgA and dental caries in healthy children living in Makkah city.
Materials and Methods: The study included a total of 90 children of both genders, age range from 7- to 12-year-old. Dental caries was assessed. Stimulated whole salivary samples were collected after dental examination in the morning (from 9 to 11 A.M.) and Saliva flow rates of the subjects were measured. The samples were transported then stored in saliva collection tubes. The salivary IgA levels were measured using Human IgA ELISA kit.
Results and Conclusion: There is a negative correlation between the increase in the mean levels of salivary IgA with the reduction in dental caries activity in children. This would reflect the salivary IgA protective mechanism against dental caries and streptococcus mutans in the whole saliva of low caries-active children.
Key words: Dental caries, DMFT, deft, salivary IgA, ELISA.