Potential Renal Acid Load, Salivary Buffer Capacity and Healthy Eating Index as Predictors of Children’s Dental Caries: A Cross-Sectional Study

Introduction: Dental caries is one of the most common childhood diseases. This study purposed to investigate the prediction capability of potential renal acid load (PRAL), salivary buffer capacity (SBC), and Healthy Eating Index (HEI) on children's dental caries. Methods: The decay, missing, filing, and teeth for primary teeth (dmft)/Decay, Missing, Filling, and Teeth for permanent teeth (DMFT) indexes of the children aged 7-12 years who applied to our faculty were recorded. Approximately 1 mL of unstimulated saliva samples were collected, and SBC was evaluated. PRAL and HEI scores were calculated by entering the data in the form of a daily nutrition record of the children into the BeBiS software (Ebispro for Windows, Stuttgart, Germany). The association of dental caries indices with PRAL, SBC, and HEI was analyzed using an independent sample t-test. A binomial logistic regression analysis was performed to predict the dental caries burden. The statistical significance level was adjusted to a=0.05. Results: A total of 150 children, 88 (58.6%) females and 62 (41.4%) males, were included in the study. Significant differences were found between the low and high dental caries groups for dmft regarding PRAL and SBC (p<0.001). A significant difference was found between the low and high dental caries groups for DMFT in terms of SBC (p<0.05). Conclusion: In our study, established regression models significantly predicted dental caries in primary teeth. SBC was the most influential factor in predicting dental caries compared to PRAL and HEI. There was a significant relationship between SBC, PRAL, and caries in primary teeth. In the model we created, the strongest predictor was SBC.