29 June 2025 : Clinical Research
Key Factors Influencing Caries Development in Preschoolers: A Focus on Socio-Demographic, Maternal Health, and Salivary Biomarkers in 3-Year-Olds
Branislava Stojkovic ABCDEF 1*, Marija Igic ACD 2, Tatjana Jevtovic Stoimenov ACD 3, Olivera Trickovic Janjic
AD 2, Aleksandra Ignjatovic ACD 4, Milos Kostic AD 5, Simona Stojanovic EF 2, Milica Petrovic EF 2, Ana Stojanovic EF 2, Zorana Velickovic EF 2
DOI: 10.12659/MSM.948857
Med Sci Monit 2025; 31:e948857
Table 4 Potential early caries predictors in the studied population of children (univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis – enter method).
| Univariate | Multivariate | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OR | 95% CI | P value | OR | 95% CI | P value | |||
| Age of subjects | 0.965 | 0.889 | 1.047 | 0.386 | 0.956 | 0.859 | 1.065 | 0.415 |
| Gender | 0.900 | 0.459 | 1.765 | 0.759 | 1.018 | 0.412 | 2.514 | 0.970 |
| Debris index (DI) >1 | 6.394 | 2.976 | 13.739 | <0.001 | 6.667 | 2.606 | 17.054 | <0.001 |
| Frequency of tooth brushing >1 a day | 1.171 | 0.571 | 2.404 | 0.666 | ||||
| Breastfeeding length | 1.017 | 1.045 | 1.172 | 0.001 | 1.088 | 1.015 | 1.166 | 0.017 |
| Number of meals | 0.965 | 0.664 | 1.404 | 0.853 | ||||
| Frequency of refined carbohydrate intake | 1.833 | 0.804 | 4.179 | 0.149 | ||||
| No personal dentist | 2.454 | 1.215 | 4.958 | 0.012 | 2.850 | 1.070 | 7.596 | 0.036 |
| More than 2 visits to the dentist a year | 0.881 | 0.344 | 2.255 | 0.791 | 0.593 | 0.161 | 2.179 | 0.431 |
| Poor dental health of the mother | 10.521 | 4.789 | 23.115 | <0.001 | 9.118 | 3.694 | 22.508 | <0.001 |
| pH of unstimulated saliva | 6.935 | 0.474 | 101.471 | 0.157 | ||||
| HNP-1 | 0.986 | 0.844 | 1.151 | 0.856 | ||||
| hBD-2 | 0.942 | 0.494 | 1.798 | 0.856 | ||||
| LL-37 | 1.135 | 0.798 | 1.616 | 0.481 | ||||
| Constant | 0.189 | 0.497 | ||||||
| OR – odds ratio; 95% CI – 95% confidence interval; HNP-1 – human α45; defensin 1; hBD-2 – human β defensin 2; LL-37 – human cathelicidin. | ||||||||