Objectives: This study investigated the relationship between urease and arginine
deiminase system (ADS) activities and dental caries through a cross-sectional study.
Material and Methods: Urease and ADS activities were measured in saliva and plaque
samples from 10 caries-free subjects and 13 caries-active. Urease activity was obtained
from the ammonia produced by incubation of plaque and saliva samples in urea. ADS
activity was obtained from the ammonia generated by the arginine-HCl and Tris-maleate
buffer. Specific activity was defined as micromoles of ammonia per minute per milligram
of protein. Shapiro-Wilk statistical test was used to analyze the distribution of the data,
and Mann-Whitney test was used to determine the significance of the data. Results: The
specific urease activity in saliva and plaque was significantly higher in individuals with low
DMFT scores. ADS activity in saliva (6.050 vs 1.350, p=0.0154) and plaque (8.830 vs
1.210, p=0.025) was also higher in individuals with low DMFT scores. Conclusions: Cariesfree subjects had a higher ammonia generation activity by urease and arginine deiminase
system for both saliva and plaque samples than low caries-active subjects. High levels of
alkali production in oral environment were related to caries-free subjects.
Lenguage
dc.language.iso
en
Publisher
dc.publisher
Bauru School of Dentistry, University of Sao Paulo