Quantitation of human salivary acidic proline-rich proteins in oral diseases

Acidic proline-rich proteins (APRP) were quantitated immunochemically in salivary secretions from groups of: caries-resistant (CR) and caries-susceptible (CS) subjects; heavy- and light-calculus-formers; and patients with Sjögren's Syndrome, drug-induced xerostomia, and recurrent parotitis. In all groups except the parotitis patients, there were comparable levels of APRP, about 40-50 mg%, with similar values in parotid and submandibular saliva. In chronic recurrent parotitis, the values were somewhat higher (about 60 mg%). There were no differences in the proportion of APRP-A to C in a subset of CR and CS. Taken as a whole, the data support the view that the secretion of APRP is stable and that caries status and propensity to calculus formation are not associated with abnormal levels of these phosphoproteins.