Salivary factors related to caries in pregnancy: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
BACKGROUND
The authors of this meta-analysis aimed to assess saliva-related caries risk factors, including calcium and phosphate, hydrogen ion concentration, buffer capacity, Streptococcus mutans and Lactobacillus counts, flow rate, and decayed, missing and filled teeth index in each trimester during pregnancy.


TYPES OF STUDIES REVIEWED
The authors searched electronic databases up to July 1, 2019. Eligible observational studies were included. The authors assessed the quality of the included studies by using the Joanna Briggs Institute scale. To estimate the effects of pregnancy, standardized mean differences with 95% confidence intervals were pooled using the random-effects model. Subgroup analysis and meta-regression were used to explore heterogeneity. Publication bias was assessed using Begg and Egger tests.


RESULTS
Twenty-nine studies were included in the meta-analysis, representing 1,230 pregnant women in the case groups and 715 in the control groups (nonpregnant women). The results showed that salivary calcium concentration decreased in the third trimester, salivary phosphate decreased in the second and third trimesters, saliva hydrogen ion concentration decreased in the first and third trimesters, stimulated saliva flow rate increased in the third trimester, and salivary S mutans count increased in the second and third trimesters. In addition, the results showed that saliva calcium, phosphate, S mutans, and buffer capacity amounts had changed from the first trimester to the third.


CONCLUSIONS AND PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS
In the third trimester, most salivary factors related to caries change and can increase the risk of developing caries in the future. Interventions and screening for caries prevention in pregnancy should start in the first or second trimesters.
['Yousefi|Mahtab|M|', 'Parvaie|Parvin|P|', 'Riahi|Seyed Mohammad|SM|']
D004245:DMF Index D003731:Dental Caries D005260:Female D006801:Humans D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration D007778:Lactobacillus D011247:Pregnancy D011248:Pregnancy Complications D012463:Saliva D013295:Streptococcus mutans
caries meta-analysis calcium phosphates hydrogen ion concentration buffer capacity Streptococcus mutans flow rate Pregnant women saliva DMFT