Salivary components and factors related to dental caries and periodontal disease in children with Down Syndrome

Abstract

People with Down Syndrome have low prevalence of caries and high prevalence of periodontal disease. The objective of this study is to evaluate salivary components and factors related to dental caries and periodontal disease in children with Down Syndrome and compare them with non-syndromic children. Forty six children aged 7-12 years, will be divided into two groups: DS - Down Syndrome (n=23) and NDS - Control Non-Syndromic (n=23). Intraoral examination will be performed in order to obtain CPO-D/ceo-d index and gingival index. Then, unstimulated whole saliva will be collected for a period of 5 minutes and salivary flow (mL/min) will be determined. The salivary pH and buffering capacity will be determined using a digital pHmeter. Streptococcus mutans, Lactobacillus spp. and Porphyromonas gingivalis counts will be determined by culture of saliva dilutions, using specific culture medium. Activity of Superoxide Dismutase (SOD), Glutathione Peroxidase (GPx) and total Antioxidant Capacity of Saliva (TAOC) will be quantified using specific colorimetric kits. The level of Malondialdehyde (MDA) will be quantified by HPLC method. The results will be analyzed by appropriate statistics tests, with a significance level of 5%. (AU)