Salivary IgA and Total Protein among Children with Caries and Caries Free Groups, Correlating to Their Mothers

Background Among the oral diseases, dental caries is the most common chronic disease of mankind. It affects all people regardless of their gender and age. Studies showed a positive relationship between mother and child caries experience, suggesting that this is a good predictor of caries risk in children. This study was aimed to evaluate the salivary immunoglobulin A, and total protein in caries free children and children with caries in relation to their mothers. Materials and methods The present study included sixty healthy children who divided into two groups, 30 children caries free and 30 children with caries. Stimulated saliva was collected from all children and their mothers. The salivary samples were then analyzed for salivary immunoglobulin and total protein levels. The data was then statistically analyzed using SPSS version 10. Results Salivary immunoglobulin levels increased significantly in caries free children. The results also showed that, the salivary total protein was higher in children with caries group. Conclusions Within the limitation of this study, and with regard to mother-child relationships, this study concludes that, the total protein in saliva, and immunoglobulin levels play a major role in the caries experience.