Salivary Profile and Dental Status in Children with Congenital Heart Disease: A Descriptive Study

Abstract

Background. Congenital heart disease is one of the most common developmental anomalies. Saliva plays a crucial role in the oral ecosystem. Due to bicarbonate ion serving as a buffering system, saliva neutralizes acidity of the oral cavity to prevent dental problems. Objectives. This study aimed to determine salivary parameters and dental status of children with congenital heart disease and in comparison with to healthy subjects. Material and Methods. This descriptive study compared 40 patients aged 7-11 years with verified diagnosis of congenital heart disease with 40 healthy children in terms of salivary calcium, phosphorus, secretory IgA, pH, and the flow rate as well as first permanent molar DMFT. Unstimulated whole saliva samples were collected by means of the spitting method. The salivary flow rate was measured in mL/min. A pH meter and specialized kits were used to measure pH and salivary parameters respectively. Students' t-test was utilized to compare variables between groups. Results. Eighty children, 37 (46.25%) boys and 43 (53.75%) girls, were studied with the mean age of 8.33 +/- 1.14. There was no significant difference in relation to the age and sex between groups. However, patients had significantly lower body mass index (p = 0.005) and frequency of daily tooth brushing (p = 0.02) than controls. Patients showed significantly lower salivary flow rate (p = 0.0001), pH (p = 0.02), phosphorus (p = 0.01), and secretory IgA (p = 0.0001) than controls. On the other hand, the level of salivary calcium was not significantly different between groups (p = 0.29). In regard to the dental status, DMFT of the first permanent molars was significantly higher in patients than controls (p = 0.05). Conclusions. Salivary flow rate, pH, phosphorus, and secretory IgA were significantly diminished in children with congenital heart disease, who had worse dental status as compared to controls.Copyright © by Wroclaw Medical University and Polish Dental Society.