SALIVARY BIOMARKERS AS ESSENTIAL FACTOR IN TAILORED DENTAL HEALTH

Resume. Dental caries (tooth decay) is a highly prevalent multifactorial infectious disease that afflicts a large proportion of the world’s population. Dental caries is caused by cariogenic microorganisms in the biofilm (dental plaque), which ferment dietary carbohydrates to produce acid, leading to mineral loss from tooth hard tissues and subsequently the destruction of tooth structures. The interaction of microorganisms, diet and host determines the occurance of dental caries. The constituents and properties of saliva plays an essential role in the occurrence and progression of dental caries. Saliva may protect teeth through several mechanisms, such as clearance of food debris and sugar, aggregation and elimination of microorganisms, buffering actions to neutralize acid, maintaining supersaturation with respect to tooth mineral, participating in acquired enamel pellicle formation (which slows down demineralization during acid attack) and antimicrobial defense. Saliva is composed of 99% water and less than 1% solid (mainly electrolytes and proteins). Although salivary electrolytes and proteins account for only a small proportion of saliva, they play various important roles to maintain the oral health and integrity of teeth.Many measurable characteristics of saliva arepotential biomarkers for dental caries. These salivarybiomarkers may be exploited for the prediction, diagnosis,prognosis and management of dental caries, aswell as for evaluating the outcome of therapeutic regimens. This narrative review aims to provide an overview of the current understanding of salivary biomarkers associated with dental caries. Keywords: Biomarkers, protiens, electrolytes, microorganisms.

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