Effect of caries‐preventive measures in children with high numbers of S. mutans and lactobacilli

Abstract

abstract— On the basis of the number of Streptococcus mutans and lactobacilli, 645 children 9–12 years old were divided into five groups. The children with the highest number of S. mutans and lactobacilli were considered to be at a high caries risk and were divided into three groups with 49 children in each. One group received preventive measures from a specially trained nurse twice a month, one group was treated once a month and the third group served as a control. The other 498 children with lower numbers of S. mutans and lactobacilli were considered to be at a lower caries risk and were divided into two groups. One group was treated once a month while the other was a control. The children with originally high numbers ofS. mutans and lactobacilli developed significantly more new carious lesions after 1 and 2 years (2.5 and 4.3) than the children with low counts in the control groups (1.9 and 2.8). All the children in the test groups which had received the preventive program developed significantly less caries than the corresponding control group. In the test risk group treated twice a month the caries activity was extremely low during the 1st year with an average of 0.34 new carious lesions. After 2 years the average was 0.92. The microbial conditions as well as the saliva secretion rate, buffer capacity and saliva pH did not seem to be influenced by the preventive program.

Intra- and inter-individual variation in salivary flow rate, buffer effect, lactobacilli, and mutans streptococci among 11- to 12-year-old schoolchildren

“…This accords with several previous studies (6,(19)(20)(21)(22)(23)(24)(25). The inverse relationship between the buffer effect or flow rate and the caries indices was also expected (11,26,27).…”

Dental Caries and Streptococcus mutans Prevalence in Cancer Patients with Irradiation-Induced Xerostomia: 1–13 Years after Radiotherapy

“…The extremely low caries incre ment observed in cooperative patients, de spite the remarkable shift to a highly cari ogenic oral microflora, provides good evi dence for the effectiveness of these mea sures, especially the topical fluoride pro gram [Dreizen et al, 1977b], Similar ob servations on nonxerostomic children in Sweden have been made by Klock and Krasse [1978]. Although the rampant type of postirradiation caries is rarely seen today at cancer centers employing preventive pro grams, uncooperative patients who continue to develop carious lesions and require re peated prevention reinforcement have been noted in most studies.…”

Cariogenicity Depends More on Diet than the Prevailing Mutans Streptococcal Species

“…The frequently reported weak correlation between caries and salivary mutans streptococci counts is in accordance with the data from the literature showing weak correlations between the cariogenicity of the diet and salivary mutans streptococci counts. Other factors that may affect mutans streptococci counts Besides diet, oral hygiene, which is supposed to be poor in African children, has been suggested as a possible ecological determinant of mutans streptococci, but neither discontinuation of oral hygiene nor professional toothcleaning has shown a significant effect on salivary mutans streptococci counts (Klock and Krasse, 1978;Emilson et a l, 1982;Togeiius et a l, 1984). Open caries lesions, which are prevalent in Africans, provide retention sites and could therefore be considered as an ecological factor for mutans streptococci.…”