Background: Child and maternal sucrose-stimulated salivary pH (SSS pH) levels have the potential to be associated with childhood caries. Aim: This study investigated the relationships among child and maternal SSS pH and child caries diagnosis, severity, and risk. Design: SSS pH levels were measured from 202 pediatric subjects and 175 mothers. Early childhood caries (ECC) and severe ECC (SECC) diagnoses, caries risk assessment (CRA) results, and caries severity scores were recorded. The associations between child and maternal SSS pH and the child-caries risk, diagnosis, and severity were respectively assessed using regression models. Results: Children with SSS pH <5.6 had higher odds to be diagnosed with ECC or SECC (aOR=7.27), and higher odds to present with moderate to extensive caries severity (aOR=5.63). Child SSS pH was associated with multiple risk factors on a CRA. When child SSS pH was adjusted for age, gender, and race/ethnicity as a predictor for SECC and ECC, the sensitivity and specificity estimates increased. Maternal and child SSS pH were positively associated. Conclusions: Dentists should consider the use of child-SSS pH as an inexpensive adjunct to the CRA and know that maternal and child SSS pH are significantly associated.

The authors have declared no competing interest.

This study was funded by the Hansjorg Wyss Department of Plastic Surgery, NYU Langone Health.

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Ethics committee/IRB of the New York University (NYU) Grossman School of Medicine gave ethical approval for this work.

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