Salivary characteristics and dental caries experience in remote Indigenous children in Australia: a cross-sectional study

Table 1 Frequency distribution of gender, salivary and behavioural characteristics

	N (%)
Gender^a
Male	128 (44.6%)
Female	159 (55.4%)
Salivary pH^a
≤ 6.6	45 (15.6%)
> 6.6	244 (84.4%)
Salivary flow rate (ml/5 min)^a
≤ 5	137 (47.7%)
> 5	150 (52.3%)
Total buffering capacity^a
≤ 9	151 (53%)
> 9	134 (47%)
Salivary MS counts
≥ 10^5 CFU/ml saliva	212 (72.6%)
< 10^5 CFU/ml saliva	80 (27.4%)
Salivary LB counts
≥ 10^5 CFU/ml saliva	116 (39.7%)
< 10^5 CFU/ml saliva	176 (60.3%)
Salivary Yeast counts^a
Moderate or heavy	44 (15.3%)
None or light	243 (84.7%)
Brushing frequency^a
≤ once/day	63 (24.3%)
>2 day	196 (75.7%)
On a typical day, do you consume soft drink^a
Yes	204 (77.3%)
No	60 (22.7%)

^aSome participants had missing data, so the categories do not add up to total sample size

ISSN: 1472-6831