The relationship between pH and buffering capacity of whole saliva to dental caries in children

Objectives: To develop a test to screen children for caries susceptibility and/or prediction by establishing various correlations between pH and buffering capacity of whole saliva in three groups of children. Subjects: Appropriate written informed consent was taken. Children were divided into three groups depending on whether they had active caries, treated caries or no caries at all. Design: A population of children was divided into three groups depending on their current caries status. Whole saliva was collected and pH and buffering capacities were measured. Results: A strong correlation between pH and buffering capacity could not be established. Conclusions: Although these factors come into play during cariogenesis, they do not present as an accurate, reliable and reproducible method of monitoring caries activity due to the dynamic and highly variable oral condition at any given time. The concurrent lack of sensitivity preclude these tests for individual caries susceptibility testing.