We found a match
Your institution may have access to this item. Find your institution then sign in to continue.
- Title
Intra- and inter-individual variation in salivary flow rate, buffer effect, lactobacilli, and mutans streptococci among 11- to 12-year-old schoolchildren.
- Authors
Tukia-Kulmala, Helena; Tenovuo, Jorma
- Abstract
Both intra- and inter-individual variation in salivary flow rate, buffer effect, and the levels of salivary mutans streptococci and lactobacilli were analyzed in 128 11-year-old children. The follow-up period was 9 months, with six saliva samplings done at regular intervals. Inter-individual variation was relatively large in paraffin-stimulated salivary flow rate: low (<1.0 ml/ min) and high (≥2.0 ml/min) flow rates were measured in 18%% and 13%% of the children, respectively. Intraindividual variation during the follow-up period was found in 63%% of the boys and in 73%% of the girls. The buffer effect stayed stable in all samplings in 59%% of the boys and in 42%% of the girls. Buffer effect was significantly ( p < 0.001) lower in girls than in boys. Mutans streptococci were analyzed by a chair-side method (Strip mutans test) and by cultivation on mitis-salivarius-bacitracin (MSB) agar plates. The results of the two methods correlated highly significantly ( r == 0.79, p < 0.001). With the Strip mutans test no variation in test scores occurred in 49%% of all subjects in all six samplings, whereas the respective percentage for MSB scores was only 19%%. No variation in salivary lactobacilli occurred in only 18%% of the subjects, and in 13%% the intraindividual variation was as high as ≥3 logs. These results show that in young teenagers with a developing dentition, simultaneous changes in behavioral, hormonal, and dietary factors make single-point measurements of salivary factors too unreliable for caries-diagnostic or predictive purposes.
- Publication
Acta Odontologica Scandinavica, 1993, Vol 51, Issue 1, p31
- ISSN
0001-6357
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.3109/00016359309041145