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• The amount of caries in deciduous teeth is in direct proportion to the observed antioxidant capacity of saliva.• The total antioxidant capacity of saliva is greater among children that have caries.• The presencce of caries in deciduous teeth is associated with caries in permanent teeth. I N B R I E F RESEARCHObjective This study aims to evaluate the relationship between the total antioxidant capacity of saliva and the presence of dental caries in deciduous and permanent teeth, in a group of Saharan children. Methods The dental examination was carried out in accordance with the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO). The total antioxidant capacity of the saliva was determined by colorimetry. Results The total antioxidant capacity (TAC) of the saliva of patients with caries in deciduous teeth was 2.89 1/IC50 greater than among those without. We observed a statistically signifi cant linear regression between the number of deciduous teeth affected by caries and the total antioxidant capacity of the saliva: y = 0.24 + 0.53 × TAC saliva (t = 2.93; p = 0.004) (95% CI of b: 0.018-0.088). Conclusions Our results show that the amount of caries in deciduous teeth is in direct proportion to the observed TAC of saliva, and that the presence of caries in deciduous teeth is associated with caries in permanent teeth.

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a disease of increasing incidence among paediatric patients. Among the factors involved in its pathogenesis is the alteration of the immune response, and so the objective of this study was to evaluate the involvement of certain neuroendocrine factors with immune properties in the development of the disease. Fifty-five subjects were selected and divided into the following three groups: healthy subjects, those diagnosed with symptomatic AD and those with asymptomatic AD. Plasma levels of melatonin and beta-endorphins were measured by radioimmunoassay, in serum samples obtained at 9 am and 9 pm, with two samples being obtained from each of the patients and controls. In the phases of AD outbreaks, there is a reduction in the serum levels of both melatonin and beta-endorphin. In the case of melatonin, the difference is statistically significant only during the day, although nocturnal levels are greater for both hormones. In AD, a central neuroendocrine dysfunction may be a primary pathogenic event. Our hypothesis is that the physiological nocturnal peak of melatonin due to pineal gland production may mask the decline of melatonin of possibly extrapineal (immunological) origin during episodes of dermatitis outbreaks. Further studies are required, particularly of neurovegetative and hormonal aspects, to better define this process. Such a definition would also be of therapeutic interest.

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