Introduction: Salivary melatonin is a critical antioxidant that contributes to oral health by mitigating oxidative stress. Psychological stress linked to thumb sucking may disrupt oral homeostasis, leading to conditions such as dental caries and fungal infections. Aim: This study explores the relationships between thumb sucking, salivary melatonin levels, dental caries, and the presence of Candida albicans (CA) in children. Materials and methods: A case-control study was conducted with 60 children aged 4-5 years at the University of Baghdad’s College of Dentistry. Participants were divided into thumb-sucking (n=30) and non-thumb-sucking (n=30) groups. Salivary melatonin levels were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA), dental caries were assessed via the dmfs index, and CA counts were quantified on Sabouraud dextrose agar (SDA). Statistical analyses were performed, including t-tests, ANOVA, and correlation assessments. Results: Thumb-sucking children exhibited significantly lower salivary melatonin levels (28.620±2.278 pg/mL) compared to controls (34.525±2.142 pg/mL; p=0.044). The thumb-sucking group also had higher dmfs scores (15.033±1.449 vs. 8.667±0.899; p=0.000) and greater CA counts (18.900±1.048 vs. 13.583±0.549; p=0.000). Negative correlations were observed between salivary melatonin levels and the severity of dental caries, while positive correlations linked CA with dental caries. Conclusions: Thumb sucking adversely affects pediatric oral health by reducing salivary melatonin, increasing dental caries risk, and promoting fungal overgrowth. Early intervention to curb thumb-sucking behaviors may mitigate these risks and improve oral health outcomes.
Background: Dental caries is one of the most prevalent chronic diseases of people worldwide that lead to the pain and disability across all age groups and still consider as a major cause of tooth loss. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence and severity of dental caries and treatment needs among school children in Heet city. Materiales and methods: The sample included all school children at age of (12 years old) males and females from urban areas in Heet city. Diagnosis and recording of dental caries and treatment needs were done according to the criteria of WHO. Results: The prevalence of dental caries was (90.2%). The DMFS/dmfs values were (5.85±0.168, 1.57±0.146) respectively for the total sample. Females were foun
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Background: diabetic mellitus is one of the serious systemic diseases that may cause general systemic changes, which may be reflected in the oral cavity. The aims of this study were to assess the severity of dental caries, Mutans Streptococci and Lactobacilli in addition to flow rate and pH among uncontrolled and controlled diabetic groups in comparison with non-diabetic control group. Materials and Methods: Study groups consisted of 25 uncontrolled diabetic patients (HbA1c > 7), 25 controlled diabetic patients (HbA1c ? 7), in addition to 25 non-diabetic healthy looking individuals. Their age was (18-22) years from both genders. The diagnosis and recording of dental caries was according to severity of dental caries lesion through the applic
... Show MoreBackground: Diabetic is a chronic systemic disorder of glucose metabolism. That could be diagnosed using fasting and/or random plasma glucose and Glycated Haemoglobin (HbA1c). Several biochemical and microbial alterations of saliva could affect dental caries occurrence and severity among diabetic patients. The aim of the present study was to assess the relation of salivary glucose with severity of dental caries and Mutans Streptococci, among uncontrolled and controlled diabetic groups in comparison with non-diabetic control group. Materials and Methods: The total sample composed of adults aged (18-22) years. Divided into 25 uncontrolled diabetic patients (HbA1c > 7), 25 controlled diabetic patients (HbA1c ≤ 7), in addition to 25 no
... Show MoreBackground: Candida albicans is a prevalent commensal that can cause severe health problems in humans. One such condition that frequently returns after treatment is oral candidiasis. Aim: the goal of this research is to evaluate the efficiency of 940 nm as a fungicidal on the growth of Candida albicans in vitro. Material and Methods: In vitro samples (fungal swabs) were taken from the oral cavity of 75 patients suffering from oral thrush. Following the process of isolating and identifying Albicans. The samples are divided into four groups:(Group 1): Suspension of C. albicans was put in a solution of saline as a control group. (Group 2): Suspension of C. albicans that had been treated wit
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this study aimed to study the effect of Cordia myxa extract on the growth and activities of the following types of bacteria : Escherichia coli , Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Proteus Spp., Klebsiella pneumoniae , Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes , Bacillus subtilus, and the yeast Candida albicans .the results showed an inhibitory effect of the methanol extract on both the growth and activity of the tested microbes .this was reflected by the minimum inhibitory concentration ( MIC ) of different type of bacteria and the yeast.
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197 vaginal swabs were collected from women of different ages. (60) Isolates of Candida albicans (30.4%) were obtained, and the other species of Candida represent (18.27%). Bacterial infections showed (41.11%), and infection with Trichomonas vaginalis was (2.03%). Ten isolates of C. albicans were chosen randomly for farther study which include two virulence factors tendency of adhesion wich showed a percentage of (52%) to(32%) , and the ability to produce phospholipaze enzyme and it’s activity which showed (50%) of the isolates have the ability to produce the enzyme in different degrees .