Comparing salivary antibacterial peptides in children with and without Caries

salivary proteins have, today, gained special importance in studies of the role of saliva in tooth decay. Among the peptides, histatins and defenses play a more important role. The aim of this study was to determine the concentration of salivary antibacterial peptides in children with early childhood caries (ECC, SECC) compared to children without caries.

This comparative-case study was conducted on 48 young children (under 6 years of age) with milk teeth referred to a private pediatric dentistry center. The participants were divided into three groups of 16 with early childhood caries (ECC, SECC) and without decay. After collecting children's saliva, the samples were sent to the laboratory to obtain peptide concentration in salivia using ELISA and the results were analyzed using SPSS 22 software.

The average index of histatin-5 in the mild caries group was significantly lower than those in the moderate caries (p<0.001) and severe caries groups (p<0.001). The average index of beta-defensin-1 in the mild caries group was significantly higher than those in the moderate caries (p<0.001) and severe caries groups (p<0.001). The average beta-defensin-2 index in the mild caries group was significantly higher than those in the moderate caries group (p<0.001); and in the severe caries group, it was significantly higher than that in the moderate caries group (p<0.001).

With the increase of salivary HST-5, the progress of caries increased. Also, the progress of caries was associated with a decrease in the amount of β-defensin-1. No correlation was observed between the caries process and the amount of β-defensin-2.