Salivary innate immune peptides are associated with dental caries experience in young adults.

BACKGROUND

Saliva has traditionally been studied in relation to dental caries through parameters such as flow rate, pH, and buffering capacity. However, additional components, particularly proteins of the innate immune system, may also contribute to caries development or prevention. This study evaluated whether antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) in saliva are associated with caries status in young adults.

METHODS

Forty healthy volunteers (18-35 years) attending the University Dental Clinics provided stimulated saliva samples and were assigned to either a low-caries group or a high caries experience group, based on ICDAS criteria and DMFS index scores. Levels of human β-defensins 1-3, histatin-5, and cathelicidin LL-37 were quantified using peptide-specific ELISA kits.

RESULTS

All AMP concentrations were significantly higher in individuals with low caries compared with those with high caries (p < 0.001). Moreover, a negative association was observed between D1-6MFS scores and salivary AMP concentrations.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings indicate that salivary AMPs levels are associated with caries experience and may reflect differences in host innate immune response.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Salivary AMPs may represent promising non-invasive biomarkers to support caries risk assessment and preventive strategies.