Associations Between Salivary Alpha-Amylase, Dental Caries and Periodontal Disease in Children and Adolescents
Changes in the composition of oral fluid can serve as a tool for monitoring oral health. Salivary alpha-amylase (sAA) is one of the most common biomarkers and acts both as a protector and a predictor of dental diseases, but the evidence on its associations with dental health is contradictory. Aim: To perform a systematic search, analysis, and qualitative synthesis of scientific information on the relationship between sAA concentration and caries and periodontal diseases in children and adolescents. Methods: This is a systematic review using PRISMA-2020 guidelines. A systematic collection of scientific literature was performed using PubMed, eLIBRARY.RU, and manual snowball search. A total of 120 publications were identified, of which 11 met the inclusion criteria and were included in the review. Results: Six studies demonstrated inverse associations between sAA and caries while four studies found direct relationships. One publication reported no association between sAA and caries. No studies between sAA and periodontal disease were found. Conclusions: Heterogeneous results of published studies on this topic warrant further research using carefully planned studies to obtain empirical data for assessing the association between sAA and oral diseases.
Gorbatova M.A., Mitkina E.A., Shagrov L.L., Simakova A.A., Grjibovski A.M. 2025. Associations Between Salivary Alpha-Amylase, Dental Caries and Periodontal Disease in Children and Adolescents. Challenges in Modern Medicine, 48(3): 347–360 (in Russian). DOI: 10.52575/2687-0940-2025-48-3-347-360. EDN: NMSIGK
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