title: Magnetic bead-based salivary peptidome profiling analysis for severe early childhood caries.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the differential salivary protein expression profiles between children with severe early childhood caries (S-ECC) and caries-free (CF) children at the age of 3 years.
  
  
  METHODS
  We used matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) combined with weak cation exchange magnetic beads, and peptide mass fingerprints were created by scanning mass spectrometry signals. Salivary samples from 20 children were analyzed (10 for each group).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Eleven protein peaks were significantly different (p < 0.05) between the two groups. Eight of these peaks were higher in the S-ECC group and three were higher in the CF group. To establish a diagnostic model for discrimination between the two groups, we chose three peptides (3,186.2, 3,195.8 and 3,324.8 Da) that exhibited the best fitted curve, by which the two groups were better separated when compared with other combinations.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The salivary biomarkers identified revealed significant differences between the CF and the S-ECC group. Our results provide novel insight into the salivary protein profile of preschool-age children with dental caries and may lead to the development of a new strategy for screening high-risk populations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Preventive Dentistry, Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology, Beijing, PR China.
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Si
authors.forename: Shuang
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ao
authors.forename: Weijian
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Feng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Shuguo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zheng
mesh_terms: D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000378:metabolism*; D003733:Dental Caries Susceptibility; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007474:Ion Exchange; D059346:Magnets; D008297:Male; D013058:Mass Spectrometry; D010449:Peptide Mapping; D040081:Protein Array Analysis; D012471:Salivary Proteins and Peptides / Q000032:analysis*; D019032:Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D012471:Salivary Proteins and Peptides