Total Salivary Protein Concentration and its Correlation to Dental Caries

Authors

Emyli Peralta, University of Central FloridaFollow
Jonathan Joseph, University of Central FloridaFollow

Mentor

Dr. Robert Borgon

Abstract

According to the World Health Organization, dental cavities are the number one chronic disease in children. Saliva coats the teeth all day and serves many functions to maintain and protect teeth. Saliva has many proteins that can be both detrimental and essential to the preservation of tooth enamel. The purpose of this study was to determine if a correlation exists between the total protein concentration in saliva and the prevalence of cavities in the mouth. We hypothesized that there would be a positive correlation between total salivary protein concentration and the prevalence of cavities in the participant.Saliva samples were collected from patients during their comprehensive exams at the University of Central Florida (UCF) Dental Center and were analyzed using the DC assay to determine the protein concentration. These results were compared to the number of cavities found in each patient’s mouth to determine if a correlation exists between protein concentration and cavity number. The correlation between the variables was weak, indicating that salivary protein concentration and cavity number are not significantly related. These results suggest that total salivary protein concentration alone may not be a sufficient diagnostic marker in determining the likelihood of cavities. This may be due to the multifactorial nature of cavity formation, but further research is needed to confirm this.

About the Author

Emyli is a pre-dental student that has been working in the dental field since 2015 and has a huge passion for dental education and preventative dentistry. She learned about the research process through the guidance of her mentor, Dr. Borgon who assisted her every step of the way when she proposed this study. Emyli graduated from UCF her B.S in Health Sciences and B.S in Biomedical Sciences in December 2019 and will be starting dental school in August 2021. Jonathan is a pre-medical student with a passion for pediatric and preventative medicine. He learned about the research process through the guidance of Dr. Borgon and Professor Verity, while taking Quantitative Biological Methods and then PILOT. Jonathan graduated from UCF his B.S in Biomedical Sciences in May 2019 and will be starting medical school in August 2021.

Recommended Citation

Peralta, Emyli and Joseph, Jonathan (2021) "Total Salivary Protein Concentration and its Correlation to Dental Caries," The Pegasus Review: UCF Undergraduate Research Journal: Vol. 12: Iss. 2, Article 3.
Available at: https://stars.library.ucf.edu/urj/vol12/iss2/3