Investigating the Relationship between Salivary Nitric Oxide Concentration and Tooth Decay Index in Different Age Groups of Children

Background: Nitric oxide (NO) is a highly active radical that prevents the growth of oral bacteria by inhibiting their growth and increasing the cytotoxicity of salivary macrophages as a non-specific defense mechanism. The aim of this study was to investigate the salivary NO concentration and its relationship with the DFS caries index and salivary pH in children.Materials and Methods: In a cross-sectional study, ۱۷۷ children aged ۴-۱۲ years with different levels of DFS were selected. ۲ ml of unstimulated saliva was collected from each child, and the pH and NO concentration of the collected saliva were measured using a pH meter and the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method, respectively. Statistical analyzes were done with the help of one-way analysis of variance and pairwise comparisons.Results: The mean concentration of salivary NO in children with severe caries (dfs>۸) was significantly lower than in children with mild caries (dfs≤۲) (p=۰.۰۰۸). The pH of saliva in children with severe caries (dfs>۸) was significantly higher than in children with moderate caries (۲ ≥dfs>۸) (p=۰.۰۲۷), and in children aged ۴-۶, it was higher than in children aged ۶-۹(p=۰.۰۳۹).Conclusion: Increasing the amount of NO in saliva  can decrease decay, as the production of nitrous oxide is actually the body's defense mechanism to neutralize the acids produced by decay-causing bacteria. Salivary pH decreases first and then increases with increasing caries.

کلیدواژه ها:

Children ، Dental Caries ، salivary nitric oxide ، salivary pH