Relationship between Salivary Alpha-Amylase Enzyme Activity, Anthropometric Indices, Dietary Habits, and Early Childhood Dental Caries

Zahra Parsaie; Peyman Rezaie; Niloofar Azimi; Najmeh Mohammadi

doi:10.1155/2022/2617197

Relationship between Salivary Alpha-Amylase Enzyme Activity, Anthropometric Indices, Dietary Habits, and Early Childhood Dental Caries

Int J Dent. 2022 Mar 26:2022:2617197. doi: 10.1155/2022/2617197. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Zahra Parsaie^{1

2}, Peyman Rezaie³, Niloofar Azimi², Najmeh Mohammadi⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Pediatric Dentistry, Zahedan Dental School, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran.
² Department of Pediatric Dentistry, Shiraz Dental School, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
³ Adelaide Medical School and Centre of Research Excellence in Translating Nutritional Science to Good Health, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide 5005, Australia.
⁴ Oral and Dental Disease Research Center, Shiraz Dental School, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.

Abstract

Objectives: Although early childhood dental caries (ECC) have the same general etiology as other types of caries, predisposing factors are not well elucidated. This study aimed to investigate the effect of salivary alpha-amylase (sAA) activity, body mass index (BMI), dietary habits, and oral hygiene on ECC.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed on 38 ECC-affected and 41 caries-free children, aged 36 to 72 months. Upon the parents' consent, 3 mL of non-stimulated saliva was collected from the participants to measure the level of sAA activity through spectrophotometry. Additionally, parents/caretakers completed a structured questionnaire about demographic factors, oral hygiene, and consumption of sugar-containing foods. BMI, BMI z-scores, and percentile data were calculated by using an online calculator. The independent variables were dichotomized and tested through chi-square test, followed by a stepwise logistic regression, by using SPSS software (α = 0.05).

Results: The sAA activity was significantly higher in caries-free children (P ≤ 0.001). However, the mean BMI was not significantly different between the two groups (P=0.49). Brushing and other measured dietary habits were significantly associated with the development of ECC (P ≤ 0.001). According to the results of the logistic regression, sAA activity was shown to be a predictor for ECC development (Odds ratio (95% confidence interval): 0.9 (0.95-0.98)).

Conclusion: Children with inherently lower levels of sAA activity were more susceptible to dental caries. Improper nutritional habits and poor oral health care could exacerbate the risk of ECC.