Comparative Evaluation of Anticariogenic Effect of Two Dentifrices on Salivary pH In the Paediatric Population: A Triple-Blinded Randomized Controlled Trial

NEED FOR STUDY

Primary teeth play a vital role in children’s oral and overall development, making their maintenance essential. Oral diseases like dental caries contribute significantly to the global disease burden, affecting individuals of all ages.Conventional preventive strategies such as fluoride treatments and antibacterial mouth rinses have limitations. Fluoride, while effective in remineralization, can cause dental and skeletal fluorosis if overused. Antibacterial rinses, on the other hand, indiscriminately eliminate both harmful and beneficial bacteria, creating an imbalance in the oral microbiota. Probiotics have emerged as a promising approach in caries prevention, demonstrating the ability to selectively inhibit cariogenic bacteria such as Streptococcus mutans, a primary pathogen in dental caries. Given the limitations of conventional methods and the growing body of evidence supporting probiotics, there is a compelling need to evaluate their efficacy in pediatric populations prone to dental caries. This study aims to assess the impact of fluoride and probiotic-fluoride dentifrices on gingival health and salivary pH as indicators of their anticariogenic potential in paediatric population.