Salivary inorganic components in relation to some clinical variables

Objective: to look at associations between salivary inorganic components (calcium and phosphate) and some clinical variables (plaque, gingival bleeding and DMFS scores). Methods: Assessments of plaque, gingival bleeding and DMFS scores were carried out on 30 school children (aged 14-16) and this were followed by the collection of both resting and stimulated whole saliva. Plaque was recorded as absent (code 0), visible with probing (code 1) and visible without probing (code 2) while bleeding was assessed according to Sidi and Ashle (1984) index. The flow rate of saliva was determined by calculating the volume of saliva collected/time taken to collect the sample. Calcium and phosphate analyses were carried out using color titration and spectrophotometer respectively. Results: When controlled for secretion rate, results of this study showed positive associations between calcium concentrations (0.50±0.57mmol/l) in resting whole saliva and visible plaque (6.20±8.5) at r=0.458, p<0.05, plaque wet weight (0.01±0.02mg) at r=0.445, p<0.05, and bleeding on probing (6.73±4.14) at r=0.417, p<0.05. Positive associations were seen between phosphate concentrations (0.21±0.1 mg/ml) in resting whole saliva with visible plaque (6.20±8.5) at r=0.496, p<0.05 as well as with bleeding on probing (6.73±4.14) at r=0.467, p<0.05. Conclusions: The results of this investigation showed that some significant positive associations were seen between salivary concentration of calcium and phosphate in resting whole saliva and some clinical variables.