Abstract:

Objective: The aim of the study was to compare the salivary IgA and gingival crevicular fluid IgA levels in caries active and caries free subjects. Methods: The study was carried out on 40 subjects divided into two groups, Group I caries free, (DMFT =0) and Group II caries active, (DMFT >10). Saliva and gingival crevicular fluid samples were obtained and plaque index, gingival index, gingival crevicular fluid volume and salivary flow rate were determined. The levels of S. mutans and lactobacillus were determined by culture. IgA concentrations of saliva and gingival crevicular fluid samples were determined using the ELISA. Data were analyzed using the Mann-Whitney U and χ2 tests (α = 0.05). Results: Gingival crevicular fluid volume, plaque index and gingival index values of group II were significantly higher than group I (p< 0.05). Although lactobacillus counts of group II were higher than group I, no statistically significant differences were observed for microorganism counts (p>0.05). Salivary flow rate, gingival crevicular fluid-IgA and saliva-IgA levels were no statistically significant between the groups (p>0.05). Conclusion: The present study showed that microorganism counts in the saliva did not by themselves influence the DMFT index. There is no dependence between secretory immunity and dental caries in subjects.

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