Abstract Objective:

To determine if there are differences in protein profiles in saliva depending if children of caries-free versus caries affected.

Material and Methods:

A cohort of 91 children with ages between 6 and 19 years, along clinical status of caries experience. Protein profiles in saliva were determined using electrophoresis and the calculation of the percentage of a specific band at a specific molecular weight in relationship to the total protein in that sample (% of total) using molecular weight standards. This quantification was repeated for each protein band across a range of molecular weights for each sample. Chi-square, Fisher's exact, and Student t-tests were used to compare the distributions between caries-free and caries affected children (α=0.05).

Results:

Histatin was more likely to be non-detectable or reduced in caries-free children (OR=7.56; 95% CI 1.62-35.13) and these children had on average one less gel band detected by the assay we used.

Conclusion:

We have found differences in proteins between caries affected and caries-free children, suggesting that this line of investigation holds the promise of providing new tools for caries management.