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Objectives: To determine the level of knowledge of pediatricians and parents from Andalucía (southern Spain) about early-onset tooth decay, and to assess if pediatricians provide information to parents about pediatric oral care and visits to the pediatric dentist., Material and Method: A random sample of 113 pediatricians and 112 parents with children under 3 years of age received an anonymous questionnaire comprising 14 items for pediatricians and 16 items for parents, grouped into five blocks: visits to the dentist, oral hygiene, caries, nutritional habits, and treatment of caries. The chi-squared test was used to assess differences between groups., Results: Pediatricians showed deficiencies in their knowledge about visits to the dentist and treatment of caries, however their level of knowledge on oral hygiene, tooth decay and nutritional habits were adequate. Parents showed a low level of knowledge in all aspects of the study, mainly about the treatment of tooth decay. There were no significant differences between pediatricians and parents in the knowledge about visits to the dentist, however pediatricians had more knowledge than the parents about hygiene, tooth decay, nutritional habits and treatment (P<0.001). Most of the parents indicated that pediatricians did not provide them detailed information on oral care, and about the possibility of visiting a pediatric dentist., Conclusions: Andalusian pediatricians should improve their knowledge about early-onset tooth decay, and provide more information to parents about the oral care and the possibility of visiting a pediatric dentist. Parents have a very low level of knowledge about early-onset tooth decay, and particularly about treatment., (Copyright © 2013 Asociación Española de Pediatría. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.)

Objective: This study aims to evaluate the relationship between the total antioxidant capacity of saliva and the presence of dental caries in deciduous and permanent teeth, in a group of Saharan children., Methods: The dental examination was carried out in accordance with the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO). The total antioxidant capacity of the saliva was determined by colorimetry., Results: The total antioxidant capacity (TAC) of the saliva of patients with caries in deciduous teeth was 2.89 1/IC50 greater than among those without. We observed a statistically significant linear regression between the number of deciduous teeth affected by caries and the total antioxidant capacity of the saliva: y = 0.24 + 0.53 x TAC saliva (t = 2.93; p = 0.004) (95% CI of b: 0.018-0.088)., Conclusions: Our results show that the amount of caries in deciduous teeth is in direct proportion to the observed TAC of saliva, and that the presence of caries in deciduous teeth is associated with caries in permanent teeth.