Relationship Between Salivary Alpha-amylase Enzyme Activity, Anthropometric Indices, Dietary Habits, and Early Childhood Dental Caries

Abstract

Background: Caries risk assessment is of great importance in young children. Although early childhood dental caries (ECC) have the same general etiology as other types of caries, predisposing factors are not well elucidated. Objectives: To evaluate the effect of salivary alpha-amylase (sAA) activity, body mass index (BMI), dietary habits and oral hygiene on ECC incidence.Materials and Methods: This study was performed on 38 ECC-affected and 41 caries-free children, aged 36 to 72 months. Upon the parents' consent, 3 mL of non-stimulated saliva was collected from the participants to measure the level of sAA activity through spectrophotometry. Additionally, parents/caretakers completed a structured questionnaire about demographic factors, oral hygiene, and consumption of sugar-containing foods. BMI, BMI z-scores and percentile data were calculated by using an on-line calculator. The independent variables were dichotomized and tested through chi-square test, followed by a backward stepwise regression, by using SPSS software (α=0.05).Results: The sAA activity was significantly higher in caries-free children (P≤0.001). However, the mean BMI was not significantly different between the two groups (P=0.49). Brushing and other measured dietary habits were significantly associated with the development of ECC (P≤0.001).Conclusion: Children with inherently lower levels of sAA activity were more susceptible to dental caries. Improper nutritional habits and poor oral health care could exacerbate the risk of ECC.