{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,13]],"date-time":"2026-08-13T20:38:59Z","timestamp":1786653539229,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":35,"publisher":"Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health)","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,1]],"date-time":"2026-03-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1772323200000},"content-version":"unspecified","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-nd\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["lww.com","ovid.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["J Int Soc Prev Community Dent"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,3]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>\n                    A\n                    <jats:sc>bstract<\/jats:sc>\n                  <\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Objectives:<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>The biological mechanisms linking obesity to dental caries (DC) remain multifaceted. Salivary leptin, an adipokine known to modulate sweet taste sensitivity, may play a pivotal role in dietary choices and subsequent caries development. The aim was to evaluate the association between salivary leptin levels, taste perception thresholds, and DC severity among adolescent girls across different body mass index (BMI) categories.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods:<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>This cross-sectional study included adolescent girls in Baghdad, Iraq. Participants were categorized by BMI (normal, overweight, obese) using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention growth references. DC was assessed via the decayed, missing, and filled surfaces (DMFS) index (World Health Organization criteria). Unstimulated whole saliva was analyzed for leptin using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Taste perception was evaluated for four basic qualities. Statistical analysis included analysis of variance for continuous variables, Kruskal\u2013Wallis for ordinal taste scores, and multivariate linear regression.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results:<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      Statistically significant differences in salivary leptin were observed across BMI groups (\n                      <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">P<\/jats:italic>\n                      &lt; 0.05), with the highest levels in the obese group. Interestingly, the overweight group exhibited a lower mean DMFS (6.28) compared to the normal weight group (7.87), supporting the hypothesis of varying dietary patterns. Multivariate regression identified salivary leptin and total taste scores as significant independent predictors of DMFS severity (\n                      <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">P<\/jats:italic>\n                      &lt; 0.05). High leptin levels correlated with elevated sweet taste thresholds, potentially driving sugar-seeking behavior.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion:<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Salivary leptin acts as a critical link between metabolic status and oral health by modulating taste perception. These findings suggest that leptin-mediated taste desensitization is a significant biological risk factor for caries, independent of BMI alone.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.4103\/jispcd.jispcd_212_25","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,30]],"date-time":"2026-04-30T05:00:13Z","timestamp":1777525213000},"page":"208-215","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1097\/lww.0000000000001000","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["The Interplay of Salivary Leptin, Taste Perception, and Dental Caries in Adolescent Girls: A Cross-Sectional Analysis Across Body Mass Index Categories"],"prefix":"10.4103","volume":"16","author":[{"given":"Basma A.","family":"Abdullah","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pedodontics, Orthodontics and Preventive Dentistry, College of Dentistry, Mustansiriyah University, Baghdad, Iraq"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Dalia K.","family":"Abbas","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pedodontics, Orthodontics and Preventive Dentistry, College of Dentistry, Mustansiriyah University, Baghdad, Iraq"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"276","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,29]]},"reference":[{"key":"CIT0001-20260430","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"860","DOI":"10.3390\/jcm13030860","article-title":"Obesity and dental caries in school children","volume":"13","author":"Mohajeri","year":"2024","journal-title":"J Clin Med"},{"key":"CIT0002-20260430","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"966","DOI":"10.1186\/s12903-024-04733-5","article-title":"Childhood obesity in relation to risk of dental caries: A cumulative and dose-response systematic review and meta-analysis","volume":"24","author":"Bakhoda","year":"2024","journal-title":"BMC Oral Health"},{"key":"CIT0003-20260430","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"323","DOI":"10.4103\/jispcd.jispcd_6_23","article-title":"Association between dental caries, dental biofilm, and body mass index in indigenous children from two regions of Ecuador: A cross-sectional study","volume":"15","author":"Armas-Vega","year":"2025","journal-title":"J Int Soc Prev Community Dent"},{"key":"CIT0004-20260430","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"779","DOI":"10.1007\/s40368-024-00920-8","article-title":"Obesity\/overweight and dental caries experience in children and adolescents: An umbrella review","volume":"25","author":"Garrocho-Rangel","year":"2024","journal-title":"Eur Arch Paediatr Dent"},{"key":"CIT0005-20260430","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e015","DOI":"10.1590\/1807-3107bor-2024.vol38.0015","article-title":"Overweight\/obesity and dental caries in Brazilian children and adolescents: A systematic review and meta-analysis","volume":"38","author":"Pizzi","year":"2024","journal-title":"Braz Oral Res"},{"key":"CIT0006-20260430","first-page":"115","article-title":"The association between taste perception with caries experience and body mass index of 12-13 years old children in the 2 sub-districts in Medan. 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