ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: As dietary management during early childhood is a great barrier in caries control, there is a need for the identification of intrinsic risk factors, capable of allowing the use of a more cost-effective approach to early childhood caries (ECC). OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the salivary peptide profile of children with and without ECC and its association with caries experience. METHODS: One hundred and six 10- to 71-month-old children participated in the study. Caries experience was determined through the visual/tactile method, based on the number of decayed, missing, and filled teeth, and surface scores (dmft/dmfs). Whole saliva was collected for mutans streptococci (MS) detection and peptide analysis. RESULTS: Chromatograms from CF (children without caries experience, n = 58) and CE (children with caries experience, n = 48) saliva pools expressed different patterns. Identification of molecular masses suggested the presence of nine peptides. Three of them were significantly related with caries experience. HNP-3 (α-defensin 3) (P = 0.019) and HBD-3 (ß-defensin 3) (P = 0.034) reduced the chances of experiencing ECC. Proline-rich peptides IB-4 significantly increased caries experience (P = 0.035). Age (P = 0.020) and MS counts (P = 0.036) increased caries experience; however, gender was not associated with dental caries (P = 0.877). CONCLUSION: Specific salivary peptides of CF or CE children in early childhood predispose to a higher or lower risk of caries experience.