title: Assessing salivary osmolality as a caries risk indicator in cerebral palsy children.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Salivary osmolality reflects the hydration status of individuals with cerebral palsy (CP) necessary for an adequate unstimulated salivary flow rate.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To investigate whether salivary osmolality could serve as a potential indicator of caries risk in children with spastic CP by displaying a stronger association with caries occurrence than salivary flow rate.
  
  
  METHODS
  The convenience sample consisted of 65 children with CP aged 6-13 years old. Unstimulated whole saliva was collected using cotton roll, and salivary osmolality was measured using a freezing point depression osmometer. The children's oral motor performance was evaluated during the feeding process using the Oral Motor Assessment Scale. Caries occurrence was also evaluated according the World Health Organization criteria.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Motor skills were significantly associated with caries experience. Regarding the salivary parameters, osmolality presented a stronger association with caries experience than did the salivary flow rate. Children with worse oral motor performance presented a higher rate of caries occurrence.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Osmolality exhibited a stronger association with caries occurrence than did salivary flow rate. This parameter, therefore, could be a potential caries risk indicator for spastic cerebral palsy children.
authors.affiliation: Persons with Disabilities Division, School of Dentistry, Universidade Cruzeiro do Sul, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Maria Teresa Botti Rodrigues
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Santos
authors.forename: Maria Cristina Duarte
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Ferreira
authors.forename: Fausto M
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Mendes
authors.forename: Renata
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: de Oliveira Guaré
mesh_terms: D002547:Cerebral Palsy / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D009994:Osmolar Concentration; D012307:Risk Factors; D012463:Saliva / Q000737:chemistry*