Comparative evaluation of salivary constituents and oral health status in children with Down′s syndrome

Abstract Aim: To evaluate and correlate salivary constituents and oral health status in children with Down′s syndrome. Materials and Methods: Seventy-five children in the age group of 4-14 years were included in the study. The control group consisted of 25 healthy children. The study group consisting of children with Down′s syndrome was divided into study Group I which consisted of 25 institutionalized children and study Group II consisted of 25 noninstitutionalized children. Caries score and oral hygiene status of each child were calculated. Unstimulated saliva was collected from each child, and salivary levels of sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, and zinc were evaluated. Results: Lowest decayed, missing, and filled teeth scores were found in noninstitutionalized Down′s syndrome children and highest oral hygiene index-simplified scores were found among institutionalized Down′s syndrome children. Levels of sodium ions were seen to be highest in the control group; magnesium levels were highest in an institutionalized group of children with Down′s syndrome, whereas potassium, calcium, phosphorus, and zinc levels were found to be highest among a noninstitutionalized group of children with Down′s syndrome. Salivary calcium showed a significant negative correlation with dental caries. Conclusion: Salivary calcium and zinc play a protective role against dental caries. Increased dietary calcium and zinc in addition to education regarding oral hygiene practices may improve overall oral health among children.