Salivary Oxidative Stress Markers' Relation to Oral Diseases in Children and Adolescents

Current evidence suggests that salivary markers of oxidative stress are indicative of clinical disease indices such as the papillary bleeding index (PBI) and the caries index (CI). The aim of this study was to assess the relation of oxidative stress markers with oral dental caries and periodontal problems in a pediatric population. In our case-control study, unstimulated whole saliva was collected from individuals aged 3-18 years (n = 177); 14 individuals were excluded. Study subjects were divided into those with caries (CI = 2, n = 78) and those who were caries-free (n = 85). These groups were then divided into another subset consisting of children (mean age 7.3 years, n = 121) and adolescents (mean age 16.1 years, n = 42). The PBI was determined in all groups. We then assessed salivary levels of oxidative stress markers. Our results showed that, the total antioxidant capacity (TAC) level increased in patients with more gingival bleeding (p < 0.05) in the study group aged 3-18 years. In addition, TAC showed a significant decrease in samples with caries when compared to the caries-free group in adolescents (p = 0.008). In conclusion, TAC levels may be a marker of both gingival bleeding and dental caries in young adult populations. We hope that in the near future, prophylaxis, control, follow up and even possible therapeutic use of oxidative stress markers in a chairside way will become possible as antioxidants have been shown to be effective against oral diseases.