Relationship between the salivary concentrations of proteinase-3 and interleukin-8 and severe early childhood caries.

Background: Severe early childhood caries (S-ECC) is a multifactorial transmissible infectious disease continuing to affect infants and toddlers worldwide. Saliva plays a modulatory role in the pathogenesis of dental caries.

Objectives: The present study aimed to assess the salivary levels of proteinase-3 (PR3) and interleukin-8 (IL-8) as pro-inflammatory cytokines related to the function of neutrophils in association with S-ECC and its treatment.

Material And Methods: Fifty children aged 36-60 months were recruited (25 caries-free controls and 25 S-ECC patients). Saliva sampling was performed in all participants. In the S-ECC group, sampling was repeated 6-8 weeks after restorative treatment. The salivary concentrations of PR3 and IL-8 were determined using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The χ2 test, Fisher's exact test, the independent t test, and the paired t test were applied at p < 0.05.

Results: The baseline salivary concentrations of PR3 and IL-8 in the S-ECC group were significantly higher than in the caries-free group (p < 0.001). A significant reduction occurred in the levels of these cytokines following restorative treatment in the S-ECC group (p < 0.001), although they were still significantly higher than in the caries-free group (p < 0.05).

Conclusions: The salivary levels of PR3 and IL-8 were significantly affected by the presence of dental caries in children, implying their potential efficiency as non-invasive indicators in the determination of the caries risk and treatment effectiveness.