Journal of Indian Society of Pedodontics and Preventive Dentistry · Published 2025-10-01 · DOI 10.4103/jisppd.jisppd_315_25
Background: Salivary carbonic anhydrase (CA) is a zinc-containing enzyme that helps to regulate the salivary pH via bicarbonate production. Aim: The present study aims to determine CA VI concentration and activity in preschool children with white spot lesions (WSLs) and its associated Streptococcus mutans. Design: The study was performed in forty children aged 3–6 years who were examined using Nyvad’s criteria and allocated into two groups: With and without active WSLs. Stimulated saliva samples were collected. The determination of CA VI concentration and activity was performed using an enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay kit, and S. mutans culturing and identification were performed in a microbiology laboratory using the plate counting method. Data were analyzed using Student t-test and simple linear regression. Results: The results of the study showed that the mean CA VI activity was higher (2.19 ± 0.27 units/nm) and concentration was lower (440.30 ± 64.99 pg/ml) in preschool children with active WSLs. Furthermore, the mean colony-forming units of S. mutans were significantly higher (108.89 ± 8.23) in the WSL group. The level of significance was set at P < 0.05. Conclusion: Salivary CA VI is a potential biomarker for caries susceptibility in preschool children. They can be used as a caries risk indicator to predict the likelihood of developing new lesions.
Abstract from DOAJ. Public domain (CC0 1.0).
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