{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,21]],"date-time":"2026-04-21T15:15:21Z","timestamp":1776784521685,"version":"3.51.2"},"reference-count":31,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"12","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,1]],"date-time":"2025-12-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1764547200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Children"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Dental caries is currently the most common chronic disease affecting the Spanish pediatric population. Therefore, the main objective of this study was to assess Caries Management by Risk Assessment (CAMBRA) in children attending a university dental clinic between the ages of 6 and 12 and establish the DMFT (decayed, missing, and filled teeth index for permanent teeth) of the sample. In addition, the study calculated the plaque index, salivary pH level, buffering capacity, and the quantity and quality of saliva in the sample and determined if there were statistical differences between sexes and between subgroups with DMFT = 0 (control) and DMFT &gt; 0 (cases). Methods: A case\u2013control study was conducted with 89 patients aged 6 to 12 years. Clinical and salivary indicators were measured. Caries risk was also assessed using the CAMBRA protocol, and the sample was also divided into control and case groups for further analysis. Results: The CAMBRA questionnaire showed that 65.2% of participants presented a high risk of caries. The sample showed an average DMFT of 0.65 with a plaque index of 57.2%. The mean salivary pH was 7.35 (\u00b10.30). The average volume of stimulated saliva was 6.83 mL (\u00b13.68), and the buffering capacity was classified as normal in 57% of cases. No statistically significant differences were found between sexes or in the evaluated risk factors. In the control group, the mean salivary pH value was 7.35, and the amount of stimulated saliva was 6.5 mL. The buffering capacity was classified as normal in 67% of cases. In contrast, the case group presented a mean pH value of 7.15 and a salivary volume of 5 mL, with a normal buffer capacity in 50% of cases. Conclusions: The CAMBRA protocol indicated that more than half of the participants presented a high risk of caries, indicating the need to customize treatment plans for each patient. The salivary pH showed statistic differences between the control and case groups, indicating the importance of incorporating salivary biomarkers into routine clinical practice.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/children12121631","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,1]],"date-time":"2025-12-01T13:03:02Z","timestamp":1764594182000},"page":"1631","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Caries Index and Salivary Factors in Children: A Case\u2013Control Study"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"12","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4786-2014","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Clara Sandibel","family":"Garcete Delvalle","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Dentistry, School of Medicine, CEU San Pablo University, 28668 Madrid, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Judit","family":"Carrasco Viv\u00f3","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Dentistry, School of Medicine, CEU San Pablo University, 28668 Madrid, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Guillermo","family":"Reichard","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Dental Clinical Specialties, School of Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry, Complutense University of Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Leyre","family":"Prado Simon","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Dentistry, School of Medicine, CEU San Pablo University, 28668 Madrid, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0000-9785-7059","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Marta","family":"Bruna del Cojo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Dentistry, School of Medicine, CEU San Pablo University, 28668 Madrid, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3770-1735","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Eva Mar\u00eda","family":"Mart\u00ednez P\u00e9rez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Dentistry, School of Medicine, CEU San Pablo University, 28668 Madrid, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Sergio","family":"Portal Nu\u00f1ez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Dentistry, School of Medicine, CEU San Pablo University, 28668 Madrid, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,1]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","first-page":"148","article-title":"Diagn\u00f3stico, Pron\u00f3stico y Prevenci\u00f3n de La Caries de La Primera Infancia: Protocolo de La Sociedad Espa\u00f1ola de Odontopediatr\u00eda","volume":"297","year":"2017","journal-title":"Gac. 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