Evaluation of Changes in Salivary pH after Intake of Different Eatables and Beverages in Children at Different Time Intervals

INTRODUCTION: Dissolution of the enamel in the form of erosion has increased due to shift in eating habits toward carbonated drinks like soft drink and chocolates. AIM: The purpose of this study was to evaluate changes in the salivary pH after intake of different eatables and beverages in children at different time intervals. STUDY DESIGN: Using standard salivary tests, this study was conducted as a case-control study. Fifty children between ages of 8 and 12 years having strict vegetarian diet were included in the study. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Oral prophylaxis was done and salivary buffer capacity for stimulated saliva was measured. Before the saliva collection, each of the children was informed not to eat or drink anything for up to 2 hours just before the appointment. RESULTS: On pairwise evaluation, all the differences were found to be significant statistically except between baseline vs 30 minutes. Maximum mean difference was calculated and observed between baseline and immediately after intake of fruit juice and immediate after 30 minutes, 0.953 and 0.963 respectively, while minimum difference was calculated and observed between baseline and 30 minutes after intake of fruit juice (0.010). CONCLUSION: Maximum drop was seen in cold drink when compared with fruit juice. The maximum pH increase was observed in cream biscuits with 7.63 ± 0.20. It was observed that in all the groups, the pH gradually got back to near normal levels due to the buffering mechanism of saliva. How to cite this article: Pachori A, Kambalimath H, Maran S, Niranjan B, Bhambhani G, Malhotra G. Evaluation of Changes in Salivary pH after Intake of Different Eatables and Beverages in Children at Different Time Intervals. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2018;11(3):177-182.