RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Lead (Pb) and Cadmium (Cd) are important environmental contaminants. There is no biological monitoring of exposure to these heavy metals and their potential effect on dental caries in children in Tehran, Iran, a polluted megacity. Therefore, the present study investigated the potential association between Pb and Cd levels in primary teeth and saliva and dental caries. METHODS: In a cross-sectional design, 211 children aged 6-11 years referred to Tehran University of Medical Sciences, School of Dentistry and residing in Tehran were examined. Pb and Cd levels of exfoliated primary teeth and stimulated saliva were determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometry (AAS). Dental caries prevalence was evaluated according to WHO criteria. Socioeconomic status, oral hygiene behavior, snacking frequency and salivary pH data were acquired as confounding factors. Frequency and percentages were reported for categorical variables, mean and standard deviation (SD) for continuous variables, and geometric mean for skewed continuous variables. A simple linear regression and Pearson correlation tests were used for statistical analyses. P-values < 0.05 were considered as significant. RESULT: The mean (95 % confidence interval) Pb and Cd levels in teeth were 213.26 ppb (164.29-274.84) and 23.75 ppb (20.86-27.05), respectively. The mean Pb and Cd levels in saliva were 11.83 ppb (10.71-13.06) and 3.18 ppb (2.69-3.75), respectively. Furthermore, Pb and Cd in primary teeth and saliva were not associated (p > 0.05) with socioeconomic status, oral hygiene behavior and snacking frequency CONCLUSION: This study showed no association between Pb and Cd concentrations in primary teeth and in saliva with dental caries prevalence.
