Correlation between salivary mutans streptococci, lactobacilli and the severity of early childhood caries

Abstract

Background/PurposeMutans streptococci (MS) and lactobacilli (LB) are associated with dental caries, but the acquisition of these organisms in young children with early childhood caries (ECC) and severe early childhood caries (S-ECC) has only been partly described. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the salivary MS and LB levels of preschool children with ECC and S-ECC, and the correlation of MS, LB levels with caries severity.Materials and methodsThe study population was comprised of children from 3 to 6 years of age who visited the Pediatric Dental clinic of TCVGH. Oral examinations were performed, and whole unstimulated salivary samples were collected for buffer capacity, MS and LB counts by using commercially available diagnostic kits (CRT bacteria kit). The participants were divided into mild (dmft < 6), moderate (dmft:6–9) and severe caries (dmft > 9) groups; the salivary microbiological tests and buffer capacity were compared.ResultsA total of 72 children with a mean age of 4.5 years participated in this study. The salivary test showed that the higher the salivary MS level the more severe the caries status in children (P = 0.001). There was also a tendency toward a higher salivary LB level in children with more severe caries, but the difference was not significant (P = 0.088). There was no significant correlation between buffer capacity and caries status.ConclusionThe salivary MS level in preschool children was significantly correlated with the severity of early childhood caries.

A Two-Year Longitudinal Study of the Effectiveness of the CRT® Bacteria Test in Evaluating Caries Risk in Three-Year-Old Children

“…e present study utilized stimulated whole saliva as the sample collected from 3-year old children, who showed a high level of cooperation. e results of the study demonstrated that levels of infection with SM and LB in saliva can be used to predict caries risk in children [37][38][39][40][41].…”

Microbial Etiology and Prevention of Dental Caries: Exploiting Natural Products to Inhibit Cariogenic Biofilms

“…Gram-positive bacteria including streptococci of the mitis [44] and mutans species [45] (which are considered as initial colonizers of the biofilm) then form EPS, which enhance the adherence of other organisms. Emerging evidence shows that acid-producing bacterial species of the genera Veillonella [46], Scardovia [47], Lactobacillus [48], and Propionibacterium [49] could be present in the dental biofilm as colonizers and may induce in cariogenic conditions in the mouth.…”

“…Recent molecular analyses have revealed the presence of a pathogenic flora that includes bacteria different from streptococci (e.g., Scardovia and Actinomyces) and fungi (e.g., Candida albicans) [58,59]. In addition to S. mutans, Lactobacillus [48], Bifidobacterium [60], and Scardovia species [47] are also considered as caries-associated colonizers. Data from previous studies have suggested that the susceptibility of biofilms to antibiotics, preservatives, or anti-adhesion compounds is closely related to microbial diversity [61][62][63].…”

Cariogenic Biofilm: Pathology-Related Phenotypes and Targeted Therapy

“…When Jiang et al (2014) investigated the shifting of microbial profiles in the progression of dental caries, they found that Cryptobacterium , Lactobacillus , Megasphaera , Olsenella , Scardovia , Shuttleworthia , Cryptobacterium , and Streptococcus were increased significantly in cavitated dentin lesions [ 37 ]. Clinical research carried by Liu et al, (2019) found that mutans streptococci and lactobacilli levels were high in cariogenic biofilm due to their capability of acidogenesis at low pH [ 44 ].…”