Abstract
Aim: To assess the influence of tooth-brushing on saliva crystallisation in young adults with different prevalence of dental caries.
Methods: Eighty medical students who were randomly selected (48 females and 32 males)) aged 20- 25 (average 21.6) years and participated in the study after consent and approval of the University Ethics Board. The DMFT of all the students was assessed and they were divided into three groups: A – 23 subjects with low DMFT (1.9±1.02), B – 30 subjects with high DMFT (6.3±1.78), C – 27 subjects with a very high DMFT (12.4±1.96). Three drops of resting saliva were collected from each student, placed on a glass slide, air dried and studied under a microscope. Two types of saliva crystals were identified: I - centripetal and II – diffused (Leous, 1977). All subjects were asked to complete one-month home regular tooth-brushing twice per day with the same fluoride tooth paste and a manual toothbrush. The saliva tests were performed at baseline and after one month. Pearson chi-square test was applied to the resulting data.
Results: At baseline, Type I saliva crystals were seen in 17 (74±9.1%) subjects from A group, 28 (93±4.7%) subjects from B group and in 14 (52±9.6%) of subjects from C group (p<0.05). Type II were seen in 6 (26±9.1%), 2 (7±4.7%) and 13 (48±9.6%) subjects from A, B, C groups respectively (p<0.05). After one month of tooth-brushing, the following changes in saliva crystals were observed: Type I in A and C increased to 21 (91±6.0%) and 27 (90±5.8%) of subjects (p<0.05); type II in these groups reduced to 2 (9±6.0%) and 3 (11±6.0%) of subjects (p<0.05); no changes were seen in B group.
Conclusion: In the young adults studied, in those with a lower prevalence of dental caries the centripetal type (I) of saliva crystals were more frequent than diffused ones. Regular tooth-brushing for one month promoted an increase in type I crystals in subjects with a very high level of caries,fluoride toothpaste and twice daily brushing should be recommended to young adults with high DMFT scores.
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