CORRELATION OF PULPAL CALCIFICATIONS WITH SALIVARY pH AND DENTAL CARIES - A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

Dr. Namrata Jain; Dr. Sharanya Nambiar; Dr. Soumya Nair; Dr. Sylvia Mathew; Dr. Didisha Das; Dr. Shruthi N; Dr. Shwetha.V

Volume : IX, Issue : VI, June - 2020

CORRELATION OF PULPAL CALCIFICATIONS WITH SALIVARY pH AND DENTAL CARIES - A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

Dr. Namrata Jain, Dr. Sharanya Nambiar, Dr. Soumya Nair, Dr. Sylvia Mathew, Dr. Didisha Das, Dr. Shruthi N, Dr. Shwetha. V

Abstract :

Background: The pH plays a vital role in demineralization and remineralization of the calcified tissues. Based on this concept, the study focused on correlating the presence of calcifications of the pulp with salivary pH. Aim: To evaluate the correlation of salivary pH with the presence of pulpal calcifications. Materials and methods: A sample size of 100 patients were included in the study. Patients of age group 18 - 35 years were advised for orthopantomography (OPG) and were considered for saliva collection. The unstimulated saliva was tested for pH and OPG was analyzed for presence of any pulpal calcification and dental caries. Based on the presence or absence of pulpal calcifications, the samples were grouped into the following- Group 1: samples with pulpal calcifications and Group 2: samples without pulpal calcifications. Statistical analysis was performed using Paired Student�s t-Test and SPSS Version 17.0 software. Results: It was observed that Group 1 which included teeth with pulpal calcifications showed a mean salivary pH value of 8.50 whereas, Group 2 which included teeth without pulpal calcifications showed a mean salivary pH of 7.9. Out of 100 patients examined, 60 patients reported with pulpal calcification out of which 19 were associated with caries in the respective teeth, on the other hand, 40 patients reported with no pulpal calcifications associated with or no caries. Conclusion: Within the limitations of the study, the results of the study indicated that salivary pH could be an important factor in determining the prevalence of pulpal calcifications and could predict the possibility for future calcifications as well.