Salivary sIgA and PRAP-1 Protein in Relation to Dental Caries: A Comparative Study

Abstract

Aim: Certain individuals are more prone to dental caries than others are. Caries risk may be related in the secretion of certain defensive salivary proteins including secretory IgA (sIgA) and proline-rich acidic protein (PRAP-1). In this study, we investigated the relationship between PRAP-1 and sIgA leading to the susceptibility of development of dental caries in adults and explored the differences in the levels of sIgA and PRAP-1 between men and women. Materials and Methods: Unstimulated saliva samples were collected from 28 patients with high caries risk and 32 control subjects with low caries risk according to caries management by risk assessment guidelines. sIgA and PRAP-1 levels in clarified saliva samples were measured using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results: According to our results, sIgA and PRAP-1 levels did not demonstrate statistically significant differences as a function of caries risk or gender, even when potential confounding variables such as age and numbers of teeth were taken into consideration. Estimates of effect size, however, revealed small- to medium-sized effects and suggest that significant results may have been found if larger sample sizes were used. Conclusion: The results of this study indicate that caries risk and salivary levels of sIgA and PRAP-1 do not appear to be significantly associated. Statistically significant findings could emerge if the sample size was larger.