Sex Differences in Salivary Parameters of Caries Susceptibility in Healthy Individuals.

PURPOSE To investigate salivary parameters of caries susceptibility in men and women in order to identify potential variations due to sexual dimorphism. MATERIALS AND METHODS A total of 46 female and 24 male patients, aged 18-40 years, participated in this study. Unstimulated saliva was collected for the evaluation of flow rate, pH, secretory IgA, Snyder test scores, and Streptococcus mutans counts (confirmed by PCR assay). Statistical analysis included the Mann-Whitney, Kruskal-Wallis and Bonferroni tests, one-way ANOVA, and the Spearman correlation at a 5% significance level, followed by a general linear model and multiple linear regressions. RESULTS Female participants presented lower salivary pH values compared to males (p 0.05). CONCLUSION Different salivary patterns were observed in men and women, thus the implications of such findings for caries susceptibility require further investigation.