Comparative Evaluation of Chair-Side Saliva Tests According to Current Dental Status in Adult Patient

Background: this cross-sectional study evaluated the correlation of commercial chair-side saliva tests with caries status in adults. Methods: teeth in 87 adults (20–40 years old) were clinically examined for carious lesions according to International Caries Detection and Assessment System (ICDAS) criteria. The Decayed-Missing-Filling-Tooth (DMFT) and Decayed-Missing-Filling-Surface (DMFS) indexes at D1 (lesions 1–6 according to ICDAS criteria) and D3 (lesions 4–6 according to ICDAS criteria threshold and the number of active lesions, according to the Lesion Activity Assessment (LAA)) criteria were measured. The saliva parameters measured by chair-side tests were stimulated and non-stimulated saliva flow rate, saliva consistency, saliva pH, saliva buffer capacity, and lactic acid production. The statistical analyses performed were Student t-test and Mann–Whitney U test at a = 0.05 significant level. Results: the low resting saliva pH was related to a high value of DMFT (D1) index (p = 0.007). Conclusions: among the saliva parameters measured, the values of low resting pH are associated with increased DMFT at threshold D1. None of the chair-side available saliva tests evaluated can accurately underline the tooth carious status.