J Clin Pediatr Dent. 2021 Nov 1;45(5):330-336. doi: 10.17796/1053-4625-45.5.7.
This study aims to determine the relation of salivary LL37 level and mutans streptococci levels in early childhood caries (ECC).
A case-control study was performed in children ≤71 months old. Unstimulated whole saliva was collected and the level of salivary LL37 was measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit. The mutans streptococci oral bacteria were isolated from saliva and identified using a modified SB-20 culture medium (SB-20M). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, bivariate, and Spearman's rank correlation analysis.
The was a variability of salivary LL37 level among the children and the level was significantly associated with age and races. The median (IQR) value of salivary LL37 in caries-free (CF) children was significantly higher 393.50 (580.55) ng/mL compared to 172.50 (234.65) ng/mL in the ECC group. The ECC children exhibited a significantly higher count of S. mutans and S. sobrinus compared to the CF children. An inverse weak correlation between salivary LL37 and dmft was also observed.
The low salivary LL37 level and higher S. mutans and S. sobrinus count in ECC supported the protective role of salivary LL37 against dental caries. Further studies are required to explore the definite relation between salivary LL37 levels and dental caries.
本研究旨在探讨唾液 LL37 水平与幼儿龋（ECC）中变形链球菌水平的关系。
进行了一项≤71 个月大儿童的病例对照研究。采集非刺激性全唾液，使用酶联免疫吸附试剂盒测量唾液 LL37 水平。使用改良 SB-20 培养基（SB-20M）从唾液中分离和鉴定变形链球菌。使用描述性统计、双变量和 Spearman 秩相关分析来分析数据。
儿童唾液 LL37 水平存在变异性，其水平与年龄和种族显著相关。无龋（CF）儿童唾液 LL37 的中位数（IQR）值为 393.50（580.55）ng/mL，明显高于 ECC 组的 172.50（234.65）ng/mL。ECC 儿童的变形链球菌和远缘链球菌计数明显高于 CF 儿童。唾液 LL37 与 dmft 之间也存在反向弱相关。
ECC 中唾液 LL37 水平较低，变形链球菌和远缘链球菌计数较高，支持唾液 LL37 对龋齿具有保护作用。需要进一步研究来探讨唾液 LL37 水平与龋齿之间的明确关系。
