# Pre-post intervention changes in salivary biomarkers after dental treatment in children with caries: A systematic review and meta-analysis

## TL;DR

This study reviews how dental treatments in children with cavities affect saliva biomarkers, showing improvements after treatment.

## Contribution

The study provides synthesized evidence on biological changes in children's saliva after dental caries treatment.

## Key findings

- Dental treatment in children with caries improves salivary biomarkers linked to inflammation and oxidative stress.
- A pooled standardized mean difference of 0.51 indicates significant post-treatment improvement in biomarker levels.
- Moderate heterogeneity and moderate risk of bias were observed across the included studies.

## Abstract

Dental caries is a prevalent chronic disease in children that induces local inflammation and oxidative stress. Salivary biomarkers offer a non-invasive tool for monitoring biological changes associated with dental interventions. This study aims to evaluate pre- and post-treatment changes in salivary biomarkers of inflammation and oxidative stress in children with caries and to synthesize evidence on the biological response to treatment.

This systematic review and meta-analysis followed PRISMA 2020 guidelines and was prospectively registered in PROSPERO. A comprehensive literature search identified longitudinal and pre-post studies assessing salivary biomarkers in pediatric caries patients treated with restorative or preventive interventions. Risk of bias was assessed using ROBINS-I, and evidence quality with GRADE. Meta-analysis was conducted using a random-effects model.

Six studies involving 202 children (aged 3–12) were included. The pooled standardized mean difference (SMD) was 0.51 (95% CI: 0.37–0.65), favoring a post-treatment improvement in biomarker levels. Heterogeneity was moderate (I² = 45.6%; τ² = 0.012). ROBINS-I indicated moderate risk of bias; GRADE rated overall certainty of evidence as moderate.

Therapeutic dental interventions in children with caries are associated with measurable improvements in salivary biomarkers, suggesting reduced inflammation and oxidative stress following treatment.

Key words:Dental Caries, Saliva, Biomarkers, Oxidative Stress, Pediatrics.