Evaluation of salivary pH, buffering capacity, and total antioxidant capacity in children with sleep disorders.

BACKGROUND

Saliva offers a promising medium for assessing systemic health, including oxidative stress. Investigating the relationship between salivary total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and sleep disordered breathing (SDB) may be crucial for understanding and assessing the impact of SDB in children.

AIM: This study aims to evaluate and compare physiological parameters of salivary pH, buffering capacity, and TAC in children with and without sleep disorders.

SETTINGS AND

DESIGN

A cross-sectional study was conducted on 56 children (aged 6-11 years) visiting the Department of Pediatric and Preventive Dentistry. Participants were divided into a study group (n = 28) with a history of sleep problems and skeletal Class II malocclusion, and a control group (n = 28) without sleep problems and with normal skeletal relations.

MATERIALS AND

METHODS

Unstimulated saliva samples were collected in the morning. Salivary pH and buffering capacity were determined using a digital pH meter and an acid challenge assay. Salivary TAC was estimated using the modified phosphomolybdenum spectrophotometric assay.

STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: The statistical analysis was conducted using the Shapiro-Wilk test to assess normality of data and the Mann-Whitney U-test for intergroup comparisons. Effect sizes were calculated using Cohen's d.

RESULTS

Intergroup comparison revealed that the median salivary pH, buffering capacity, and TAC did not differ significantly between the study and control group (P > 0.05 for all). Effect size calculation using Cohen's d showed negligible to small effects for pH and buffering capacity, and a moderate effect for TAC, indicating limited clinical differences.

CONCLUSION

Children with sleep disorders showed a trend toward lower salivary pH, buffering capacity, and TAC values than children without sleep disorders. Saliva remains a promising, noninvasive medium for assessing the physiological changes associated with obstructive SDB in children.