Secretory Immunity and Immunodeficiency

Abstract
Naturally induced antibodies to the indigenous oral flora have been demonstrated in normal human secretions and are almost exclusively of the s-IgA class (1,2). It has been suggested that such antibodies may play an important role in the defense of the tooth surface against attack by cariogenic microorganisms, such as Streptococcus mutans (2,3). However, attempts to correlate IgA levels with caries incidence have met with contradictory results (3–8).