Comparison of the salivary immunoglobulin concentration levels between children with early childhood caries and caries-free children.

Background: Early Childhood Caries (ECC) is one of the most common chronic childhood diseases. In spite of the global decrease in dental caries in the past decades, ECC has become a significant problem in many developing countries and also in a few industrialized nations. Saliva as a host factor can play an important role in the process of dental caries.

Objective: The aim of this study was to compare sIgA and IgG as saliva components between ECC and caries-free groups.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, samples of unstimulated saliva of 90 children (45 in ECC group & 45 in caries-free group) were taken with Scully method. Then the concentration levels of sIgA and IgG were measured with Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay and Single Radial Immunodiffusion methods.

Results: Mean concentration levels of salivary sIgA and IgG were significantly higher among children with ECC (p<0.05). There was also a weak inverse correlation between sIgA level and DMFT index in ECC group but it was not statistically significant (p=0.056).

Conclusion: The high concentration of salivary immunoglobulin in children with ECC may be associated with an increased antigenic load, leading to high production of antibodies.