Evaluation of salivary calcium, phosphorus and alkaline phosphatase level in children (4-6 years) with nursing caries in Erbil City

Abstract

Background and objective: Nursing caries is a complex and severe form of tooth decay that affects a child’s teeth and leads to severe pain, teeth loss, and psychological problems. This type of decay is caused by primary factors (host, cariogenic bacteria, fermentable carbohydrate and the time) and other secondary factors. Besides, the dental caries influence by the role of saliva as a defense system. These defense systems include clearance, buffering, antimicrobial agents, and calcium and phosphate delivery for remineralization. This study aimed to find out the relationship between calcium, inorganic phosphorus and alkaline phosphatase of unstimulated saliva in children with nursing caries.Methods: The sample included 374 children aged 4-6 years; 324 were the study group (with nursing caries) while 50 were control group (caries-free). The case sheet and questionnaire included the child's feeding habits and oral hygiene. A 1.5-2 ml of saliva was collected from the selected children using spitting technique. The method included dental examination for the recording of the dmft and dmfs indices, and saliva analysis to determine the level of salivary calcium, phosphorus and alkaline phosphatase in control and study groups.