Salivary carbonic anhydrase VI as a biomarker for caries susceptibility in pre-school children and its associated Streptococcus mutans of white spot lesions: A cross-sectional Study.

BACKGROUND

Salivary carbonic anhydrase (CA) is a zinc-containing enzyme that helps to regulate the salivary pH via bicarbonate production.

AIM: The present study aims to determine CA VI concentration and activity in preschool children with white spot lesions (WSLs) and its associated Streptococcus mutans.

DESIGN

The study was performed in forty children aged 3-6 years who were examined using Nyvad's criteria and allocated into two groups: With and without active WSLs. Stimulated saliva samples were collected. The determination of CA VI concentration and activity was performed using an enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay kit, and S. mutans culturing and identification were performed in a microbiology laboratory using the plate counting method. Data were analyzed using Student t-test and simple linear regression.

RESULTS

The results of the study showed that the mean CA VI activity was higher (2.19 ± 0.27 units/nm) and concentration was lower (440.30 ± 64.99 pg/ml) in preschool children with active WSLs. Furthermore, the mean colony-forming units of S. mutans were significantly higher (108.89 ± 8.23) in the WSL group. The level of significance was set at P < 0.05.

CONCLUSION

Salivary CA VI is a potential biomarker for caries susceptibility in preschool children. They can be used as a caries risk indicator to predict the likelihood of developing new lesions.