International Journal of Clinical Pediatric Dentistry

Register      Login

VOLUME 15 , ISSUE S2 ( Special Issue-2 (Cariology), 2022 ) > List of Articles

RESEARCH ARTICLE

Comparative Analysis of the Status of Dental Caries and Selected Salivary Electrolytes in Children with Autism

NS Venkatesh Babu, Abhipsa Roy

Keywords : Autism, Dental caries, Magnesium, Salivary constituents, Urea

Citation Information :

DOI: 10.5005/jp-journals-10005-2153

License: CC BY-NC 4.0

Published Online: 16-03-2022

Copyright Statement:  Copyright © 2022; The Author(s).


Abstract

Aim: Autism has been defined as a neurological developmental disability. Children with autism have a higher risk of developing dental caries, due to various factors. The study focuses to compare the dental caries status with respect to the variation in selected salivary constituents [calcium, phosphorus, sodium, potassium, magnesium, and urea] in autistic children and healthy children. Materials and methods: Hundred children participated in the study. The study group included 50 children who were prediagnosed with autism from various autistic institutions across Bengaluru. The control group comprised of 50 healthy children who visited the Department of Pediatric and Preventive Dentistry for a routine check-up. Assessment of salivary constituents was done using salivary kits and dental caries status was recorded. Descriptive statistics was implemented to evaluate the mean and standard deviation of the study and control groups. Normality of the data was assessed using Shapiro Wilkinson test. The difference in results between the groups was calculated using the independent t-test. Results: A significant decrease was observed in the concentration levels of calcium, sodium, potassium, phosphorus, urea and a significant increase was observed in the concentration level of magnesium in the study group consisting of autistic children when compared to the control group consisting of healthy children. DMFT/dmft scores were seen to be higher in autistic children when compared to healthy children. Conclusion: In this study, children with autism were seen to have a higher susceptibility to developing dental caries when compared to healthy children from the same age-group. Clinical significance: The variations in the electrolytic salivary concentrations of calcium, sodium, potassium, chloride, phosphorus, and urea in autistic children could be stated as one of causative factors for the increased DMFT/dmft scores in them when compared to the control group consisting of healthy children.


HTML PDF Share
  1. Autism Spectrum Disorders. World Health Organization fact sheets 2019. Available from: URL:https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/autismspectrum-disorders. Last accessed on: Jan 2021.
  2. Babu N.S, Shah, S. Comparative evaluation of salivary cortisol levels and dental anxiety in children with autism. Res J Comm Behav Sci 2017; 6(10): 25–30.
  3. Blomqvist M, Holmberg K, Lindblad F, et al. Salivary cortisol levels and dental anxiety in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Eur J Oral Sci 2007;115(1):1–6. DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0722.2007.00423.x
  4. Al-Fatlani A, Radhi N. Salivary physicochemical characteristics in relation to oral health status among institutionalized autistic adolescents in Baghdad/Iraq. J Baghdad Coll Dent 2017;29(3):68–74.
  5. Sweekruthi A, Sravanti V, Prahlad G. Identification of biomarkers in the saliva of children with special healthcare needs for the development of salivary kit. Karnataka state council for science and technology (KSCST), Bangalore 2016. Available from: URL:a.http://www.kscst.iisc.ernet.in/spp/39_series/SPP39S/01_Seminar%20Projects/005_39S_R_MTech_028.pdf. Last accessed on: Jan 2021.
  6. Vijayashankar S, Doss US, Lakshmi P, et al. Analysis of salivary components to evaluate the pathogenesis of autism in children. Asian J Pharm Clin Res 2014;7(4):205–211.
  7. Bassoukou IH, Nicolau J, Teresa M. Saliva flow rate, buffer capacity, and pH of autistic individuals. Clin Oral Investig 2008;13(1):23–27. DOI: 10.1007/s00784-008-0209-5
  8. Rai K, Hedge AM, Jose N. Salivary antioxidants and oral health in children with autism. Arch Oral Biol 2012;57:1116–1120. DOI: 10.1016/j.archoralbio.2012.03.006
  9. Jaber MA. Dental caries experience, oral health status and treatment needs of dental patients with autism. J Appl Oral Sci 2011;19:212–217. DOI: 10.1590/s1678-77572011000300006
  10. Al-Maweri SA, Halboub ES, Al-Soneidar WA, et al. Oral lesions and dental status of autistic children in Yemen: A case-control study. J Int Soc Prev Community Dent 2014;4:199–203. DOI: 10.4103/2231-0762.149040
  11. Sejdini M, Meqa K, Berisha N, et al. The effect of Ca and Mg concentrations and quantity and their correlation with caries intensity in school-age children. Int J Dent 2018:2759040. DOI: 10.1155/2018/2759040
  12. Chandrashekhar S, Bommangoudar JS. Management of autistic patients in dental office: a clinical update. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2018;11:219–227. DOI:10.5005/jp-journals-10005-1515
  13. Morales-Chávez MC, Dorrego MV, Salas V. Salivary factors related to caries in children with autism. J Clin Pediatr Dent 2019;43:22–26. DOI: 10.17796/1053-4625-43.1.5
  14. Natarajan K, Gayathri R, VishnuPriya V. Analysis of electrolytes in saliva of periodontitis and healthy individuals. Int J Pharm Sci Rev Res 2016;41(1):12–14.
  15. Zhang Y, Lin L, Liu J, et al. Dental caries status in autistic children: a meta-analysis. J Autism Dev Disord 2020;50(4):1249–1257. DOI: 10.1007/s10803-019-04256-x
PDF Share
PDF Share

© Jaypee Brothers Medical Publishers (P) LTD.