Number of Carious Teeth and Concentrations of Trace Elements in Oral Cavity of Children

Abstract

Trace elements, such as aluminum, copper, manganese, and zinc, exist in minute amounts in living organisms, and are mainly taken into the human body through food or water ingestion. Some diseases and disorders are known to be induced by a deficiency or excess intake of some trace elements. In the present study, deciduous enamel samples were obtained and immersed in artificial saliva (pH 6.2 or 5.5), then values for the concentration of aluminum eluted per unit area of the enamel surface were examined for correlations with subject tooth and oral conditions. The concentration of aluminum eluted from sound regions of enamel from teeth with caries experience was significantly higher as compared to that from enamel of sound teeth following immersion in artificial salvia with a pH value of 5.5. Although the examined sound teeth had not experienced dental caries, other teeth in the same subject may have had caries. Therefore, the concentration of aluminum from sound teeth was compared with those from subjects without, with from 1 to 5, and with 6 or more carious teeth. Those findings showed that the concentration of aluminum was greater in sound teeth from donors with 6 or more carious teeth. In the same manner, aluminum concentrations from sound regions of enamel in teeth with caries experience were compared among subjects with 1 to 5, 6 to 10, and 11 or more carious teeth. Those findings also showed that the concentration of eluted aluminum was greatest in samples from subjects with 11 or more carious teeth. Together, our results suggest that a higher amount of aluminum is eluted from enamel of caries prone teeth as compared to that from healthy teeth when exposed to saliva with a pH value of 5.5. The review article reports copper and strontium levels in mixed saliva obtained from children. The concentration of copper in mixed saliva was greater in subjects with untreated decayed teeth, while that of strontium in mixed saliva was greater in subjects with untreated or treated carious teeth. These findings suggest that copper is eluted from untreated decayed teeth, while strontium is eluted from carious teeth regardless of caries treatment experience.