The Relation of Salivary Constituents (Urea, Calcium and Phosphorous) to Root Caries among Overweight and Obese Adults Aged 55-65 Year-Old at Textile Factory in Mosul City

The purpose of this study was to disclose the relationship of salivary urea, calcium and phosphorous levels with root caries occurrence among overweight and obese adults aged 55-65 year-old at Textile Factory in Mosul City. All subjects aged 55-65 year-old (thirty five subjects) at Textile factory in Mosul city who fitted the study criteria took part in the current study. Weight status was determined by using the Body Mass Index (BMI). Root caries was recorded according to the criteria of WHO (1997). Unstimulated whole saliva was collected then salivary samples were subjected for biochemical analysis. Salivary urea, calcium, and phosphorous were determined colorimetrically by using the spectrophotometer. Results revealed that salivary urea and phosphorous levels were higher among obese and overweight subjects than non-obese with highly significant difference. Also calcium level was significantly elevated among obese compared with non-obese. Sound root surface value was higher among obese than non-obese and overweight subjects with significant difference. On the other hand overweight and obese subjects revealed lower decayed root surface value than non-obese though statistical difference was not significant. As a conclusion obese subjects with good general health might experience reduced root caries severity that might partly be due to changes in salivary constituents. Therefore future studies should address which factors specific to obese might be protective against root caries. Also there is a need for further studies with larger sample size and another sample distribution that include underweight, normal weight, overweight and obese to get more precise and clear results.