Association between salivary cortisol level and caries in early childhood

Abstract

AIM: The present study aimed to evaluate the association between caries and oral health status, age, salivary cortisol levels, and parental education in children with and without prior dental caries experience. METHODS: An observational case-control study was performed including 122 children aged between 3 and 6 years who were clinically examined for caries experience using the sum of decayed, missing, and filled teeth in the primary (dmft index) and permanent (DMFT index) dentition. Oral health status was also evaluated using the Simplified Oral Hygiene index (OHI-S). Parents filled a questionnaire to provide information on other variables. Salivary cortisol levels were estimated 1 h after routine dental brushing. CONCLUSION: The present findings support the hypothesis that caries is mainly correlated with high salivary cortisol levels. Dental caries experience in children was also positively associated with tartar, plaque, and age.