Evidence map›Paper›PMID 23633704›Full record

ArticleJournal of the American Dental Association (1939)2013

Salivary characteristics and dental caries: evidence from general dental practices.

Joana Cunha-Cruz, JoAnna Scott, Marilynn Rothen, Lloyd Mancl, Timothy Lawhorn, Kenneth Brossel, Joel Berg, Northwest Practice-based REsearch Collaborative in Evidence-based DENTistry

Open access · greenAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of the American Dental Association (1939), 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 63 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
63citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
4.6field-weighted citation impact, top 5% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

63 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 134 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. A systematic review of salivary gland hypofunction and/or xerostomia induced by non-surgical cancer therapies: prevention strategies.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2025
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  5. Streptococcus dentisani and Streptococcus mutans in dental biofilm of preschoolers with and without early childhood caries: a cross-sectional study.European archives of paediatric dentistry : official journal of the European Academy of Paediatric Dentistry · 2026
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3 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Joana Cunha-CruzDepartment of Oral Health Sciences, School of Dentistry, University of Washington, Box 357475, Seattle, Wash. 98195-7475, USA. silvajcc@u.washington.edu
JoAnna Scott
Marilynn Rothen
Lloyd Mancl
Timothy Lawhorn
Kenneth Brossel
Joel Berg
Northwest Practice-based REsearch Collaborative in Evidence-based DENTistry
University of Washington · US

Funding

Network Chair for the Pacific Northwest DPBRNU01DE016750 · NIDCR · UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON · PI DEROUEN, TIMOTHY A · 2005 to 2011
$11.1M
Data Coordinating Center for the Pacific Northwest DPBRNU01DE016752 · NIDCR · UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON · PI LEROUX, BRIAN GILBERT · 2005 to 2011
$6.8M
NIDCR NIH HHS DE-016750NIDCR NIH HHS DE-016752NIDCR NIH HHS U01 DE016750NIDCR NIH HHS U01 DE016752
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundSaliva is one of the intraoral host factors that influence caries development. The authors conducted a study to investigate whether salivary characteristics are associated with recent dental caries experience.

methodsDentist-investigators and dental staff members collected data pertaining to a two-year cumulative incidence of dental caries (previous 24 months) and salivary characteristics during baseline assessment in an ongoing longitudinal study. The systematic random sample consisted of patients (n = 1,763) visiting general dental practices (n = 63) within the Northwest Practice-based REsearch Collaborative in Evidence-based DENTistry (PRECEDENT). The authors estimated adjusted rate ratios (RRs) by using generalized estimating equations log-linear regression to relate salivary characteristics to coronal carious lesions into dentin.

resultsLow resting pH (≤ 6.0) in the overall sample and low stimulated salivary flow rate (≤ 0.6 milliliter/minute) in older adults (≥ 65 years old) were associated with increased dental caries (RR, 1.6; 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 1.1-2.2; RR, 2.4; 95 percent CI, 1.5-3.8, respectively). Low buffering capacity was associated with decreased dental caries in children and adolescents (RR, 0.3; 95 percent CI, 0.1-1.0; RR, 0.2; 95 percent CI, 0.1-0.7, respectively). A thick, sticky or frothy salivary consistency also was associated with decreased dental caries in adults (RR, 0.6; 95 percent CI, 0.4-1.0). Associations between other salivary characteristics and dental caries for the overall sample and within each age group were not statistically significant.

conclusionsSalivary characteristics were associated weakly with previous dental caries experience, but the authors did not find consistent trends among the three age groups. Different salivary characteristics were associated with an increased caries experience in older adults and a lowered caries experience in children and adolescents and adults. Practical Implications. Further investigations are needed in this population setting to understand the study's conflicting results. The study findings cannot support the use of salivary tests to determine caries risk in actual clinical settings.

Indexed as

AdolescentAdultAgedAge FactorsBuffersChildCommunity-Based Participatory ResearchDental CariesDMF IndexFemaleGeneral Practice, DentalHumansHydrogen-Ion ConcentrationIncidenceLongitudinal StudiesMaleBuffersdental cariesNorthwest Practice-based REsearch Collaborative in Evidence-based DENTistypractice-based researchSaliva

Identifiers

PMID23633704
PMCPMC3874545
OpenAlexW97269084

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceTDM
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.