Background

Considering that studies on the relationship between dental caries and trace elements present contradictory and inconclusive results, the purpose of this study was to determine the levels of salivary trace elements in saliva samples of preschool children and investigate their relationship with dental caries.

Methods

In total, 120 samples of unstimulated saliva were collected from children aged 36–72 months, of both sexes, who participate in the preventative educational program in oral health at the State University of Londrina, Brazil. The children were divided into two groups, caries (n = 60) and non-caries (n = 60). Levels of Al, Cu, Fe, Mn, and Zn were analyzed by total reflection X-ray fluorescence (TXRF). Descriptive statistics, the Student’s t-test, Mann-Whitney U test, and Pearson’s Chi-squared test were performed (P < 0.05).

Results

The concentrations of Mn and Fe were significantly higher in the caries group (Mn =0.015 mg/L [0.007−0.020]; Fe =0.080 mg/L [0.031−0.239] than the non-caries group (Mn =0.010 mg/L [0.001 – 0.017]; Fe =0.044 mg/L [0.023 – 0.107]).

Conclusion

The results suggest a relationship between trace elements and dental caries, indicating possible involvement of these elements in the metabolism of microorganisms involved in the carious process. In addition, the use of TXRF presented satisfactory results, with a simple and fast methodology for the detection of the studied elements.

中文翻译：

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全反射X射线荧光技术（TXRF）研究学龄前儿童唾液中微量元素水平与龋齿的关系

背景

考虑到龋齿与微量元素关系的研究结果存在矛盾和不确定性，本研究的目的是测定学龄前儿童唾液样本中唾液微量元素的含量，并探讨其与龋齿的关系。

方法

总共从参加巴西隆德里纳州立大学口腔健康预防教育计划的 36-72 个月的男女儿童身上收集了 120 份未受刺激的唾液样本。儿童被分为两组，龋齿（n = 60）和非龋齿（n = 60）。Al、Cu、Fe、Mn 和 Zn 的含量通过全反射 X 射线荧光 (TXRF) 进行分析。进行了描述性统计、Student t 检验、Mann-Whitney U检验和 Pearson 卡方检验 (P < 0.05)。

结果

龋齿组（Mn =0.015 mg/L [0.007-0.020]；Fe =0.080 mg/L [0.031-0.239]）的Mn和Fe浓度显着高于非龋组（Mn =0.010 mg/L [0.001 – 0.017]；Fe =0.044 毫克/升 [0.023 – 0.107])。

结论

结果表明微量元素与龋齿之间存在关系，表明这些元素可能参与了龋齿过程中微生物的代谢。此外，TXRF 的使用呈现出令人满意的结果，具有用于检测所研究元素的简单快速的方法。