title: Caries-risk assessment with a chairside optical spectroscopic sensor by monitoring bacterial-mediated acidogenic-profile of saliva in children.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study aimed to evaluate the ability of an optical spectroscopic sensor (OSS) to monitor bacterial-mediated acidogenic-profile of saliva resulting from bacteria-sucrose interaction.
  
  
  METHODS
  Stage-1, characterization experiments were conducted to standardize the OSS. Stage-2 clinical experiments were carried out on stimulated saliva samples from 70 children of age-group 1-12 years. The bacterial-mediated acidogenic-profile of saliva mixed with sucrose was monitored using the OSS for 180 minutes.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The clinical patients were categorized based on the dmfs score as caries-active, caries-inactive and caries-free. The bacterial-mediated acidogenic-profile measured in terms of t1/2 monitored using the OSS was significantly different between the caries-free and caries-active (P<0.05); and caries-free and caries-inactive groups (P<0.005).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The significant correlation of the acidogenic-profile determined using the OSS and the caries-status highlighted the OSS as a sensitive and rapid chairside tool for the quantification of the acidogenic-profile of saliva that could help in monitoring the caries-risk in children.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Phototherapeutics in Oral Diseases, Discipline of Endodontics, University of Toronto, 124 Edward Street, Toronto ON M5G 1G6, Canada.
authors.forename: Annie
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shrestha
authors.forename: Ma
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mohamed-Tahir
authors.forename: Jayshree
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hegde
authors.forename: Amir
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Azarpazhooh
authors.forename: Anil
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kishen