Correspondence to: López-Jornet Pia, senior lecturer and professor of oral medicine, faculty of medicine and dentistry, university of murcia. Hospital morales meseguer. clínica odontológica universitaria. Medicina oral adv. Marques de los velez s/n murcia 30008. Spain, Trace elements or oligoelements play a vital role in maintaining the integrity of a range of physiological and metabolic processes. In this context determining the concentrations of trace elements is important for a better

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... anding of their impact on oral health. Abstract Aim: The aim of this study was to assess oral health status and analyze trace elements present in the saliva of children with intellectual disabilities and compare them with a control group. Methods: This prospective case-control study included 30 patients diagnosed with intellectual disability attending the Primitiva López Special Education Center (Cartagena, Spain) and 22 healthy control subjects. Medical histories were prepared for each subject who then underwent oral examination. Unstimulated whole saliva was collected and the following elements were measured using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS): Ca, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na, Ni, Pb, P, Rb, S and Zn. Results: The oral and dental health status of patients with intellectual disability was similar to that of control group subjects. Similar values were found in both the study group and the control group for Ca, K, Mg, Na, Pb, P and S. Significantly higher values were found in the study group for Fe and Mn (p<0.01). Conclusion: The present finding that Fe and Mn are present at higher levels in the saliva of study group patients poses the question of whether these differences could be a reflection of intellectual disability. Antonio RRJ (2019) Oral health status and trace elements in saliva of children and teenagers with intellectual disabilities: a preliminary study