Systematic assessment of salivary inflammatory markers and dental caries in children: an exploratory study

Objective: To investigate associations between a wide panel of salivary inflammatory markers and the presence of dental caries among children.

Material and methods: In this exploratory, cross-sectional study, 176 children, aged 7-9, underwent a dental examination. Information on the children’s oral health habits and lifestyles was collected from their mothers. In addition, saliva samples were collected and analyzed using a multiplex immunoassay. Of 92 inflammatory markers measured, 56 were included in the statistical analyses. To identify potential inflammatory markers associated with caries, we applied low to advanced statistical analyses. First, we performed traditional logistic regression analysis followed by Bonferroni corrections. Thereafter, a more robust and less conservative statistical approach, i.e. Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO), was applied. The models were adjusted for potential confounders.

Results: Of the 176 children in the study, 22.2% were affected by caries. Among the 56 salivary inflammatory markers, only macrophage colony-stimulating factor 1 (CSF1) was selected by the LASSO and found to be positively associated with the presence of caries.

Conclusions: The observed association between CSF1 and the presence of caries may be of clinical value in caries risk management and early diagnosis. Larger studies are warranted to assess the replicability of our findings.