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Review article Association between salivary characteristics and tooth wear: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

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Summary

This article reviews the literature to identify salivary characteristics and their association with tooth wear. The results showed a negative association between tooth wear and salivary pH and flow rate, as well as some degree of association between xerostomia, buffer capacity, and salivary consistency/viscosity with tooth wear in fewer studies. A meta-analysis of 7 studies also showed that pH levels in stimulated whole saliva were lower in patients with tooth wear compared to controls. The risk of bias was mostly unclear and the certainty of evidence was low, so no causal associations could be observed. However, knowing the potential risk factors like salivary pH or flow rate and their dynamics could be relevant during tooth wear monitoring.

Q&As

What salivary characteristics are associated with tooth wear?
Salivary characteristics associated with tooth wear include pH, flow rate, xerostomia, buffer capacity, salivary consistency/viscosity, and salivary components.

What types of studies were included in the systematic review and meta-analysis?
Studies reporting salivary characteristics in patients with tooth wear or models thereof were included. Animal and in-vitro studies and case reports were excluded.

What is the association between saliva pH and tooth wear?
The meta-analysis showed that pH levels in stimulated whole saliva were lower in patients with tooth wear compared to controls (-0.07 [-0.10 to -0.04]).

What is the risk of bias associated with the evidence of the association between saliva and tooth wear?
The general risk of bias was unclear and the certainty of evidence was low or very low.

What is the clinical significance of understanding the potential risk factors for tooth wear?
Knowing the potential risk factors like salivary pH or flow rate and their dynamics could be relevant during tooth wear monitoring and to intervene accordingly, especially in conditions like gastroesophageal reflux disease.

AI Comments

👍 This article provides an in-depth analysis of the potential risk factors associated with tooth wear, such as salivary pH and flow rate, and how they may be useful in monitoring tooth wear. It is comprehensive and provides a great deal of information on the subject.

👎 The evidence presented is mostly of low to very low certainty, and the risk of bias is often unclear. Furthermore, the diversity of methodologies limits the inclusion of all studies in quantitative synthesis.

AI Discussion

Me: It's about the association between salivary characteristics and tooth wear. The article conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to identify the associations between salivary characteristics and tooth wear. The meta-analysis showed that lower pH of stimulated saliva is associated with tooth wear. They also found a negative association between flow rate and tooth wear. The article also found that the associations between salivary content and tooth wear were not as strong.

Friend: That's interesting. What are the implications of this article?

Me: Well, the article suggests that salivary pH and flow rate could be important risk factors for tooth wear, and could be useful for monitoring tooth wear. This could be especially useful for conditions like gastroesophageal reflux disease. The article also implies that more research is needed to further examine the associations between salivary characteristics and tooth wear.

Action items

Monitor salivary pH levels in patients with tooth wear to identify potential risk factors.
Educate patients on the importance of maintaining a healthy saliva flow rate to reduce the risk of tooth wear.
Consider the use of saliva substitutes or saliva stimulants to help reduce the risk of tooth wear in patients with low saliva flow rates.

Technical terms

Meta-analysis: A statistical technique that combines the results of multiple studies to draw a conclusion.
PROSPERO CRD42022338590: A protocol developed a priori to systematically review literature to identify salivary characteristics and their association with tooth wear.
JBI tools: A tool used to assess the risk of bias in a study.
GRADE: A tool used to assess the certainty of evidence in a study.
MEDLINE, Embase, SCOPUS, Web of Science, CINAHL: Databases searched for studies reporting salivary characteristics in patients with tooth wear or models thereof.
Xerostomia: A condition characterized by dry mouth due to reduced saliva production.
Buffer capacity: The ability of a solution to resist changes in pH when an acid or base is added.
Salivary consistency/viscosity: The thickness of saliva.
Random effects meta-analysis: A type of meta-analysis that takes into account the variability between studies.
Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD): A condition in which stomach acid flows back into the esophagus, causing heartburn and other symptoms.