Salivary Immune/Stress Biomarkers Among Children

Background: The use of easily accessible biomarkers for assessing young patients' health is important. This study's aim is a measuring stress/immune biomarkers in saliva of healthy school-age children and compare subgroups according to age, sex, stress perception in dental pain related to symptomatic irreversible pulpitis (SIP) and symptomatic apical periodontitis (SAP). Material and methods: 50 children diagnosed with SIP and SAP aged from 6 to 12 years old will be treated with root canal treatment. Dental examination using DMF score and oral hygiene level will be performedby experienced dentists. Salivary samples will be collected three times: before treatment in day of first dental visit (1), after two weeks (2), and after next two weeks = 30 days (3). Additionally, pain and stress perception will be examined by VAS scale and questionnaires dedicated for children anxiety: Frankl behavior rating scale, Venham's anxiety and behavior rating scale. Salivary immunoglobullins A, G, M, opiorphin, free cortisol and amylase will be measured using commercially available ELISA kits. Results will assess which of the measured salivary biomarkers is related to stress and dental pain, suggesting its use for evaluating in non-invasive way in childhood.