Padmanabhan Vivek, Islam Md Sofiqul, Rahman Muhammed Mustahsen, Goud Manjunatha B K, Alshehhi Latifa Majed Sulaiman Allay, Hamed Hebah Mushref Ahmad, Haridas Sheela, Sharma Dileep
RAK College of Dental Sciences, Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates.
RAK College of Medical Sciences, RAK Medical and Health Sciences University, Ras al-Khaimah, United Arab Emirates.
Front Med (Lausanne). 2025 Jan 14;11:1480139. doi: 10.3389/fmed.2024.1480139. eCollection 2024.
This study aims to evaluate salivary alpha-amylase levels in children diagnosed with Early Childhood Caries (ECC) and Rampant Caries (RC) and compare them to levels in children without ECC or RC. It also examines the relationship between salivary alpha-amylase levels and increased caries activity in the children with ECC or RC.
A cross-sectional study was conducted at RAK College of Dental Sciences (RAKCODS) with 100 children aged 3-12 years. Participants were divided into ECC and RC groups, each consisting of study and control groups. Salivary alpha-amylase levels were measured using Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) kits. Statistical analyses, including the Wilcoxon Signed Rank test and Pearson's correlation coefficient, were performed using SPSS version 29 to compare salivary alpha-amylase levels between groups and examine correlation with severity of dental caries.
The study found that children with ECC and RC had significantly higher mean salivary alpha-amylase levels (16.046 U/mL and 20.62 U/mL, respectively) compared to control groups (5.09 U/mL and 12.70 U/mL). The differences were statistically significant ( < 0.0001). Pearson's correlation coefficients indicated a strong positive correlation between salivary alpha-amylase levels and severity of dental caries in both ECC ( = 0.9891, < 0.0001) and RC ( = 0.9142, < 0.0001) groups.
The study concludes that elevated salivary alpha-amylase levels, which are statistically significant, are observed in children with ECC and RC. Additionally, it was found that salivary alpha-amylase levels increased with the number of carious lesions. These findings suggest that salivary alpha-amylase could serve as a valuable biomarker for assessing caries risk and guiding preventive strategies.
本研究旨在评估诊断为幼儿龋（ECC）和猖獗龋（RC）的儿童唾液α-淀粉酶水平，并将其与无ECC或RC的儿童的水平进行比较。它还研究了ECC或RC儿童唾液α-淀粉酶水平与龋齿活动增加之间的关系。
在RAK牙科学院（RAKCODS）对100名3至12岁的儿童进行了一项横断面研究。参与者被分为ECC组和RC组，每组又分为研究组和对照组。使用酶联免疫吸附测定（ELISA）试剂盒测量唾液α-淀粉酶水平。使用SPSS 29版进行统计分析，包括Wilcoxon符号秩检验和Pearson相关系数，以比较各组之间的唾液α-淀粉酶水平，并检查与龋齿严重程度的相关性。
研究发现，与对照组（分别为5.09 U/mL和12.70 U/mL）相比，ECC和RC儿童的平均唾液α-淀粉酶水平显著更高（分别为16.046 U/mL和20.62 U/mL）。差异具有统计学意义（<0.0001）。Pearson相关系数表明，ECC组（=0.9891，<0.0001）和RC组（=0.9142，<0.0001）中唾液α-淀粉酶水平与龋齿严重程度之间均存在强正相关。
该研究得出结论，在ECC和RC儿童中观察到唾液α-淀粉酶水平升高，且具有统计学意义。此外，还发现唾液α-淀粉酶水平随龋损数量的增加而升高。这些发现表明，唾液α-淀粉酶可作为评估龋齿风险和指导预防策略的有价值的生物标志物。
