Assessing Vitamin E and Glutathione Peroxidase Levels in Salivary Samples of Children with and without Dental Caries

Abstract

Introduction: Multiple factors influence the initiation and progression of caries. Recent research has revealed that free radicals can be a prime cause of several inflammatory oral pathologies, including dental caries by direct or indirect influence on the salivary constituents like disease mediated free radicals and antioxidants. Aim: The aim of the present study was comparative evaluation of Vitamin E and Glutathione Peroxidase levels with the prevalence of dental caries in a group of school-going children. Materials and Methods: The present cross-sectional clinical study was conducted in Department of Pedodontics and Preventive Dentistry, SIBAR Institute of Dental sciences, Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, India from November 2016 to November 2018. Hundred children aged between 6-12 years were selected and divided into two groups i.e., caries active group (n=50) and caries-free group (n=50). Children having at least five decayed teeth were considered as caries active and children with DMFT/deft score 0 were considered as caries-free group. A 2 mL of unstimulated saliva was collected from all the subjects and the levels of Glutathione Peroxidase (GPx) and Vitamin E were evaluated by spectrophotometric assay. Obtained imbibing values were subjected to statistical analysis using unpaired t-test and SPSS Version 21.0 software. The p-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Of the 100 participants 52 were males and 48 were females. The mean age of the study participants was 10.21±1.4 years. Significant reduction in GPx (p<0.001**) and Vitamin E (p<0.05*) were noticed in caries active group when compared to the caries free group. Conclusion: GPx and Vitamin E levels showed an inverse relationship with the presence of dental caries. Thus these antioxidant levels can be used as biomarkers to assess the oral as well as general health. Caries activity can also be measured by these salivary factors which might be helpful in preventive dentistry.

Comparison of oral cavity protein abundance among caries-free and caries-affected individuals—a systematic review and meta-analysis

“…Myeloperoxidase activity was higher in caries-affected individuals ( 67 ). Salivary glutathione peroxidase activity was reported in two studies ( 67 , 70 ) with conflicting results. Lactoperoxidase activity and hypothiocyanite and thiocyanate concentrations were similar among caries-free and caries-affected individuals ( 73 ) ( Supplementary Table S5 ).…”

Interactive effect of salivary protein carbonyl, total glutathione, pH, and flow rate on root caries severity: A case–control study

“…Multiple studies focused on discussing the relationship between oxidative stresses, however, due to methodological differences in the study design, interventional techniques, and the results tabulation, it seems hard to compare their results and the results of the current study. [ 26 27 28 29 30 31 ] It is worth mentioning that the present study had the following limitations: small sample size; standardization concerning the same dietary pattern was not feasible; and oral hygiene measures and fluoridated measures were required. In addition, it was difficult to determine the source of antioxidants in saliva, whether it was the host, diet, or microbial origin.…”

The Potential Systemic Role of Diet in Dental Caries Development and Arrest: A Narrative Review

“…Emerging evidence suggests that higher levels of antioxidants vitamin C and vitamin E in saliva may be associated with decreased risk of caries. Specifically, recent crosssectional studies of children in India and Saudi Arabia have found significantly lower salivary vitamin C and/or E among children with active dental caries [57,58]. Research from the early 1900s also points to a potential protective effect of vitamin C on dental caries progression.…”