Salivary sIgA as a predictor of caries risk in stunting children

Abstract

Background: Stunting has a detrimental influence on the health and development of children and has a number of negative consequences, including an increase in mortality as a result of a loss in bodily immunity, which makes youngsters more susceptible to illness. Additionally, there are impairments in cognitive capacities, as well as learning and productivity in adulthood. Stunting prevalence is relatively high in Indonesia, at 30.8%, compared to the global prevalence of 22.2%. Stunting children tend to have protein energy malnutrition (PEM) condition, which can lead in salivary gland atrophy, decrease sIgA levels, and disrupting the buffering system, cleansing, and antibacterial agents. It is able to increase the risk of dental caries. The purpose of this review is to determine whether salivary sIgA levels can be used to predict the risk of developing caries in stunted children.