Relationship of Dental Caries with Fluoride Concentration in Unstimulated whole Saliva of 7 to 15-year-old Nonfluoride Users

Objective: The objective of the present study was to investigate the relationship between dental caries and fluoride concentration in unstimulated whole saliva of non-fluoride users. Study design: Ninety subjects, aged 7 to 15 years who were non-fluoride users, participated in the study. Dental caries was recorded using modified Moller’s index. Unstimulated whole saliva samples were collected early in the morning. Fluoride concentration in saliva was estimated using combination ion specific fluoride electrode (Orion). Water fluoride of the area ranged from 0.34 to 0.38 ppm. Results: Salivary fluoride concentration (mean ± SE) in saliva (n = 90) was 0.03 ± 0.03 ppm with a range of 0.01 to 0.24 ppm. The DMFT ± SE was 3.26 ± 0.27 and DMFS 4.30 ± 0.42. Correlation of fluoride concentration in saliva was inverse and significant with DMFT (p < 0.01) and DMFS (p < 0.01) using the Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient.