Saliva and Dental Caries in Down Syndrome Children

The objective of this study was to determine the association between dental caries and salivary characteristics (flow rate and pH) in the children with Down syndrome. A cross sectional study was conducted on 53 Down syndrome children at selected Down syndrome centres in Kelantan. Sociodemographic data was obtained, resting flow rate and pH were measured using Saliva-Check BUFFER® by GC co., Japan and clinical oral examination was done. Caries experience was calculated based on the index of decayed, missing and filled teeth (DMFT) for permanent dentition and decayed and filled (dft) for deciduous dentition. The mean age of the children was 11.7 (SD 5.51) years and 98.1% of them were Malays. The prevalence of dental caries for deciduous and permanent dentition was 57% (95% CI: 43%-70%) and 74% (95% CI: 61%-86%), respectively. The mean dft was 4.2 (SD 5.66) and DMFT was 4.7 (SD 4.97). The mean resting flow rate was 0.19 (SD 0.10) mL/min while mean pH was 6.2 (SD 0.45). There were no significant differences in the saliva resting flow rate and pH between the low and high carious group in both the deciduous and permanent dentitions (p>0.05). Caries prevalence was low in the deciduous but higher in permanent dentition in children with Down syndrome. Saliva resting flow rate and pH did not influence the caries experience.