Salivary and Gustatory Characteristics of Children With Different Nutritional Status

Objectives: In adults, the literature has shown that salivary composition is altered in the presence of weight excess, thus potentially affecting their oral health. Little is known about young children. The aim of this study was to evaluate salivary physicochemical characteristics and gustatory sensitivity (GS) in prepubertal subjects.
Methods: 310 children (7-10 years) were evaluated by means of body mass index and bioelectric impedance in order to classify them as presenting normal-weight, overweight or obesity. Stimulated (SS) and unstimulated saliva (US) were collected in the morning to assess salivary flow rate and pH. After, GS was evaluated by identifying the four primary tastes (sweet, sour, salt and bitter) in three different concentrations (three drop method). Data were evaluated using exploratory analysis, normality, Chi-square and Kruskal-Wallis tests.
Results: Salivary flow rate did not differ among the three groups. SS pH was slightly lower in children with obesity than in overweight ones, although within the clinical normal range (median=7.3 x 7.4, respectively). GS also did not differ among groups.
Conclusions: Salivary flow, pH and GS did not show differences with clinical relevance among prepubertal children with different nutritional status.