Salivary Characteristics, Individual Casual Parameters, and Their Relationships with the Significant Caries Index among Korean Children Aged 12 Years

This study aimed to investigate the salivary characteristics and individual daily living patterns in Korean children aged 12 years and evaluate their relationships according to the significant caries (SiC) index. The study sample consisted of 52 healthy Korean children. The subjects were allocated into a low caries-affected (low CA) group and a high caries-affected (high CA) group, according to the SiC index. Children underwent a standardized oral examination, and parents completed the questionnaires. Stimulated salivary samples were collected to evaluate the salivary pH, salivary flow rate, and salivary levels of Mutans streptococci (MS) and Lactobacilli (LB). The low CA group did not significantly differ from the high CA group for salivary flow rate and salivary pH. However, there were significant differences in salivary MS levels between the two groups (p < 0.05). Among the individual casual parameters, the prevalence of a sugar-associated primary energy source between meals was significantly higher in the high CA group than in the low CA group (p < 0.05). Within the limitations of this study, different levels of salivary MS and the consumption of different foods were observed in the low CA and high CA groups. The implications of these findings should be considered for caries susceptibility.