Comparative evaluation of salivary ph, flow rate and oral clearance rate between four different vegan milk in young adults: an in- vivo controlled trail

Abstarct : It is well established that a good diet is essential for the development and maintenance of healthy teeth. Diet is a major etiological factor for dental caries and enamel erosion. The normal pH of saliva is 6.7 to 7.4. When the pH level in mouth goes below 5.5 (i.e., the critical pH value), the acids begin to break down the enamel on teeth. The longer the teeth are exposed to a low salivary pH, the more likely the development of dental caries.The rise in popularity of vegan milk alternatives is driven by a growing concern for health and ethical considerations associated with traditional dairy products. These alternatives, sourced from plants like soy, almond, oat, coconut, and rice, offer various nutritional advantages. They typically contain lower levels of cholesterol, lactose, and saturated fats compared to cow’s milk.Hence, the following study was undertaken with the aim of assessing the effect of four different vegan milk on salivary pH, flow rate, and oral clearance rate amongst young adults.It is an in vivo controlled trial conducted in department of public health dentistry. The study was conducted among 60 participants aged between 18-25 years randomly divided into 4 groups each group containing 15 participants. Unstimulated salivary sample will be collected for each study subject at least one hour after their breakfast. After the collection of baseline salivary samples the subjects will be given vegan milk to drink and then unstimulated saliva samples will be collected at 5,10,15,30 minute time intervals. At the baseline, the intrinsic pH of each milk will be measured. Data Input in Excel sheet.Data will be analyzed using SPSS software v23. The level of significance will be kept at 5%. Data will be tested for normality using the Shapiro-Wilk test. Intragroup comparison of the variables will be done using either repeated measures ANOVA test or Friedman two-way ANOVA test followed by Bonferroni test for pairwise comparisons. Intergroup comparison of the variables at each interval will be done using either the independent t test or the mann whitney test.