Get Explaining Sex Differences In Dental Caries Prevalence: Saliva ...

Higher caries prevalence among females is often explained by one of three factors: 1) earlier eruption of teeth in girls, hence longer exposure of girls' teeth to the cariogenic oral environment, 2) easier access to food supplies by women and frequent snacking during food preparation, and 3) pregnancy.

[30,31,32,33,34] For instance, a study which compared the salivary properties in caries-active and caries-free children revealed that salivary flow and pH were significantly lower in caries-active participants.

A lower salivary flow rate in females puts them at a higher risk for caries because they lack more of saliva's mechanical washing, buffering, and remineralization benefits.

Lukacs' meta-analysis looked at both prehistoric anthropological and modern health records. He repeatedly found that increases in cavities go in favor of women in adulthood.

Patients with resting salivary pH value of approximately 7.0 have been reported to have a lower caries activity compared with those with pH values of 5.5, who exhibited a high caries incidence. In individuals with pH values between 5.5 and 7.0, the caries incidence was less severe.

Epidemiological and clinical studies, through the use of tools such as DMFT and DMFS scores, have revealed a consistent trend in caries development, with females having higher prevalence than males [1].

Since tooth loss can result from caries, the predisposition for women to be more affected than men suggests that women should experience a greater loss of teeth.

These findings suggest that caries experience of males comprised of more enamel lesions and therefore, gender discrepancy at younger ages or when caries examined into dentine only, may be contributed to the earlier tooth eruption in girls.