Impact of Tumor Necrosis Factor Alfa on Dental Caries Development in Children with Severe SNC Disorders

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to perform a comparative evaluation of TNF-α level in saliva and blood serum at children with severe disorders of the central nervous system (CNS) and conventionally healthy children in order to highlight the role of TNF-α in the initiation and development of dental caries. To assess the degree of the dental caries (DC) development were clinically examined 1272 children aged between 1 and 18 years. The study included 636 children with severe CNS disorders, which constituted the research group (L1) and 636 conditionally healthy children formed the control group (L0). The concentration of TNF-α in the oral fluid (OF) and blood serum was estimated in 212 children randomly selected from both groups. In children with severe CNS diseases TNF-α concentration in saliva is 5.53 times higher, and in blood serum it is 10.19 times higher compared to healthy children. In children with severe CNS diseases there was revealed a strong inverse relationship between TNF-α concentration in saliva and blood serum and the chances of avoiding new caries development, as opposed to the inverse average relationship estimated in healthy children. Excess TNF-α production, both locally and systemically influenced increased caries risk and dental caries morbidity in children with severe CNS diseases, which is necessary to consider when planning individualized prevention measures.