Purpose of the study: The purpose of the study was to examine the association between salivary lead level and dental caries in children of age group 3-6 yrs. Materials and method: It was a cross sectional study with sample size of 100 children in both control group (dmft=0) and study group (dmft>5). Samples of unstimulated saliva were collected from all subjects and lead estimation was done by ICP-MS method. Unpaired student-t test was used for statistical analysis, with the level of significance set at 0.05. Results: A highly significant correlation was found between salivary lead level and the presence of dental caries. The average values of lead in the control and study group were 2.84 mcg/l and 8.0 mcg/l, respectively. Conclusion: The salivary lead levels were found to be higher in subjects with dental caries proving the cariogenic potential of lead
