DOI: 10.4103/jiaomr.jiaomr_383_25 ISSN: 0972-1363
Comparative Analysis of Saliva and Salivary Streptococcus Salivarius Among the Population Residing Around the Cell Phone Towers with Varying Power Density—A Cross-Sectional Pilot Study
John Baliah, Balanehru Subramanian, David Livingstone, Kumar C. Srivastava, Deepti Shrivastava
Background:
Continuous whole-body radiation exposure from cellular towers may constitute a health risk.
Objective:
The objectives were to estimate and compare the unstimulated salivary flow rate, pH, and
Streptococcus salivarius
(S.
salivarius
) level among the population residing around cellular towers with low-, medium-, and high-power density (PD).
Methods:
Healthy participants (
n
=
60
) of both genders, aged between 18 and 30 years, residing around the cellular towers, constituted the study population. The classification of PD into three study groups, namely, low, medium, and high, was created with 20 participants in each group. The salivary flow rate was estimated using the gravimetric method. The pH measurements were obtained using a pH tester. The absolute quantification of salivary
S. salivarius
among the study groups was conducted using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 25.0 was used for statistical analysis.
Results:
Statistically meaningful reductions in unstimulated salivary flow rate (
P
= 0.006) and
S. salivarius
(
P
= 0.014) were observed in the subjects residing in high-PD areas. There is no statistically meaningful change in salivary pH among the three groups.
Conclusion:
The reductions in the salivary flow rate and
S. salivarius
suggest that the population is at compromised oral homeostasis in the high-PD group.