On average, girls have their permanent teeth erupt earlier than boys. The sequence of eruption differs between girls and boys for maxillary canines and maxillary second premolars.
Background and aims. Lysozyme and lactoferrin are salivary proteins which play an important role in innate defense mechanisms against bacteria. This study investigated the association of salivary lysozyme and lactoferrin concentrations with early childhood caries (ECC).Materials and methods. This study was carried out on 42 healthy children (age range, 36 to 71 months), of whom 21 were caries free (CF) and 21 had ECC. Disposable needle-less syringes were used to collect unstimulated saliva from buccal and labial vestibules. Fifteen children who had ECC were treated completely and their saliva was collected in the same way for the second time, three months after treatment. Lysozyme and lactoferrin concentrations were measured and recorded by the ELISA method. The intergroup comparisons were carried out using chi-square, Student’s t-test and Wilcoxon signed ranked test. A P-value less than 0.05 was considered as statistically significant.Results. The mean concentration of lysozyme was significantly higher in CF group compared with that of ECC group (P = 0.04). Although the mean concentration of lactoferrin in ECC group was higher in comparison with ECC group, the difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.06). After dental treatment, the mean concentrations of lysozyme and lactoferrin did not change in comparison with their concentrations before treatment.Conclusion. ECC may have a relationship with lower concentrations of unstimulated salivary lactoferrin and lysozyme and reduced amounts of these two salivary proteins may be a risk factor for dental caries in children.
Background: Diet plays an important role in the risk of noncommunicable diseases. In the Islamic Republic of Iran, national activities were started after release of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) action plan on prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases. Aims: This study describes national food policies implemented by the government in order to reduce noncommunicable diseases in the country in line with WHO action plan. Methods: Newly adopted food standards and regulations linked to noncommunicable diseases from 2013 to 2018 were reviewed and the maximum permitted levels of salt and trans and saturated fats were compared in the old and new standards. Nutritional traffic light labelling to raise public awareness of healthy diets was evaluated. Results: Fifteen food standards associated with eight food items that make up a large share of the daily Iranian food basket and three that make up a small share were evaluated. Policies on salt included reduction in maximum permitted percentage in bread, cheese and doogh (a fermented drink) to 1%, 3% and 0.8%, respectively. For trans and saturated fats, maximum permitted percentages were set as 2–5% and 30–65% of edible oils and fats, respectively. Nutritional traffic light labelling, which indicates the content of salt, sugar, fat and trans fat in foods, has been mandatory for all foods since 2016. Conclusions: In view of the polices implemented to reduce the salt and fat/oil content of foods, significant decreases in noncommunicable diseases are expected in coming years in the country. However, further studies are needed to show the effectiveness of the interventions.
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