Abstract:
Dental caries is one of the most prevalent oral diseases and is characterized by tooth loss or localized damage to the teeth caused by acids produced by bacteria in dental plaque. Early childhood caries (ECC) is the term used to describe tooth decay of the primary teeth in children who are 71 months of age or younger. Early childhood caries (ECC) is still one of the most common diseases in childhood. Non-invasive methods are needed to monitor the progression of dental caries, which will improve compliance and the overall therapeutic outcome. This makes it appropriate to use biochemical indicators that prove their relationship with dental caries. It is necessary to search for more effective and less invasive methods for early detection of dental caries in children, which allows for fewer treatment procedures. Therefore, our study aims to measure the levels of TAS, TOS, OSI, 8-OHdG, IL-21, and CRP in the serum of children with early childhood caries. In our study, we examined the serum of 45 children with early childhood caries before starting treatment (n = 45). They came to Harran University, Faculty of Dentistry, Department of Pediatric Dentistry, for treatment. Their disease was diagnosed and treated under general anesthesia. We chose for the healthy control group 45 children who did not suffer from dental caries, periodontal infections, or systemic diseases (n = 45). The serum 8-OHdG and IL-21 levels were measured using the ELISA method.TOS, TAS, and CRP levels were determined spectrophotometrically. Then the oxidative stress index was calculated. As a result of the study, the levels of TOS, CRP, 8-OHdG, IL-21, and OSI increased in the serum of patients with early childhood caries compared to patients in the healthy control group (p
