We conclude that the manifestation of dental caries at 6 years of age seemed to be associated with a higher daily sucrose intake that had started already at 3 years of age. Moreover, a combination of sweet intake more than once a week and visible plaque at 3 years of age may be predictive of dental health 3 years later.

Recently, we have shown positive correlations between high salivary calcium content and periodontitis, and between high salivary calcium level and the number of intact teeth in selected groups of subjects. The aim of our present study was to determine whether these correlations could be seen in a randomized group of healthy adults. A thorough oral examination including orthopantomograms was carried out for a total of 137 healthy subjects, 63 men (35.4+/-5.6 years) and 74 women (33.2+/-4.7 years). Paraffin-stimulated saliva was collected from the subjects and salivary flow (ml/min), buffering capacity, calcium (mMol/l) and microbial variables including lactobacilli, yeasts, mutans streptococci, total streptococci, total number of aerobes, and anaerobes were determined. The calcium level of whole saliva had a median of 1.23 mMol/l. Subjects with calcium level below the median were categorized as 'low', while those with higher values formed the 'high' salivary calcium group. There were more men than women in the 'High' salivary calcium group (p=0.025). Subjects in the 'high' calcium group showed more bleeding on probing (p=0.026), had more intact teeth (p=0.045), and lower DMF-scores (p=0.025) than their counterparts. No other differences were found between the two groups. We found clear associations between the level of salivary calcium and factors reflecting gingival health on one hand, and dental health on the other in a randomly selected group of healthy subjects, and conclude that salivary calcium may be important with regard to both dental and gingival health.

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– The parameters related to an intraoral mineralization tendency in periodontitis‐affected (P+) and periodontitis‐free (P‐) study subjects (16 adults, 46–74 yr, matched for sex and age) were compared. For this purpose the calcium (Ca) and phosphate (P) concentration of both plaque and saliva, resting pH and the acidogenic response of interdental plaque, plaque wet weight, salivary flow rate, buffering capacity and sucrase activity, interdental and salivary S. mutans levels as well as salivary lactobacilli and yeast levels were estimated. Plaque Ca (μg/mg protein, P<0.025) and P (μg/mg protein, P<0.05), saliva Ca (μg/ml, P<0.005) and the saliva Ca:P ratio (P<0.005) were higher in the P+ than in the P‐ group. The resting pH values were higher (P<0.025) and the acidogenic response of the interdental plaque was lower (P<0.025) in the P+ group than in the P‐ group. The P+ group had lower S. mutans levels in saliva and interdental plaque. No differences were found in the wet weight of plaque and in the flow rate, buffering capacity or sucrase activity of saliva between the groups. The findings of the mineralization‐related parameters in the two “extreme” groups of periodontal status suggest a higher intraoral mineralization tendency in periodontitis‐affected persons than in periodontitis‐free subjects. Ca and P accumulation of supragingival plaque seem to be connected with low acidogenicity of plaque and high salivary Ca concentration.

Salivary calcium was shown to be higher in treated periodontitis-affected subjects (P+) than in periodontitis-free patients (P-). Here the aim was to study whether differences in calcium or other salivary factors exist prior to treatment. The test group consisted of 20 (15 men, 5 women) periodontitis-affected subjects and the control group 15 subjects (10 men, 5 women) free from periodontitis. Paraffin-stimulated whole saliva was collected to determine the flow-rate, calcium and phosphate concentrations, pH, buffering capacity, numbers of mutans streptococci, lactobacilli and yeasts. The results showed a higher calcium concentration (p < 0.05) in the P+ group (mean: 1.68 mmol/l; SE: 0.06 in men and mean: 1.49 mmol/l; SE: 0.10 in women) than in the P-group (mean: 1.48 mmol/l; SE: 0.09 in men and mean: 1.18 mmol/l; SE: 0.10 in women). The P+ group had more intact teeth (mean +/- SE: 9.9 +/- 0.8 in men and 11.2 +/- 2.0 in women) than the P-group (mean +/- SE: 8.3 +/- 0.7 in men and 8.2 +/- 2.4 in women). The present findings may indicate that an elevated level of salivary Ca is characteristic of P+ patients both before and after periodontal treatment.