Salivary factors affecting dental erosion in children.

Dental erosion is becoming a major dental problem in both children and adults. The aim of this study was to measure the salivary flow rates, buffering capacity and mutans streptococci counts in children with erosion, and compare them to age- and sex-matched caries-free and caries-active individuals to establish which factors may be important in erosion. The study was conducted as a case-control study with standard methods of salivary and mutans streptococci measurement. The results showed significant differences for mutans streptococci counts (p = 0.05), unstimulated and stimulated salivary pH and buffering capacity (p = 0.001). These results suggest that although individuals with erosion have caries experience similar to a caries-free individual, their salivary characteristics more closely match those of a caries-active subject. The tests described are simple to carry out and may be useful in explaining individual patient susceptibility.