Role of saliva in caries models

The crucial role played by the actions of saliva in controlling the equilibrium between de- and remineralization in a cariogenic environment is demonstrated by the effects on caries incidence of salivary dysfunction and by the distribution of sites of caries predilection to those were salivary effects are restricted. However, of the several properties of saliva which may confer protective effects, it is not certain which are most important. A distinction can be made between static protective effects, which act continuously, and dynamic effects, which act during the time-course of the Stephan curve. Evidence implicates salivary buffering and sugar clearance as important dynamic effects of saliva to prevent demineralization; of these, the buffering of plaque acids may predominate. Enhanced remineralization of white spot lesions may also be regarded as dynamic protective effects of saliva. Fluoride in saliva (from dentifrices, ingesta, etc.) may promote remineralization and (especially fluoride in plaque) inhibit demineralization. The design of experiments using caries models must take into account the static and dynamic effects of saliva. Some models admit a full expression of these effects, while others may exclude them, restricting the range of investigations possible. The possibility is raised that protective effects of saliva and therapeutic agents may act cooperatively.