Streptococcus mutans Dental Caries among Patients Attending Debre Berhan Referral Hospital, Ethiopia

Abstract

Background: Dental caries is an irreversible microbial disease of the calcified tissues of the teeth. Streptococcus mutans is a bacterial resident of the oral cavity and is considered to be the principal etiological agent of dental caries in humans. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and risk factors associated with Streptococcus mutans dental caries. Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted among patients who attended Debre Berhan referral hospital dental clinic. Patient's demographic and clinical information was collected by using pre-tested questionnaire. Dental plaques from all patients was picked up by forceps and suspended in to phosphate-buffered saline for further Streptococcus mutans identification. Result: From a total of 115 study participants 56 (48.7%) and 59 (51.3%) were males and females respectively. The overall prevalence of Streptococcus mutans was 79 (68.7%) among patients with dental caries. participants 25 (21.7%) had gem bleeding and 47 (40.9%) of the participants had previous tooth decay. Conclusion: In this study, again Streptococcus mutans is the common public health problem among dental caries patients. Drinking soft drinks, oral debris and gingival index were the associated risk factor for dental caries of Streptococcus mutans.

Bacterial Profile, Antimicrobial Susceptibility Pattern, and Associated Factors among Dental Caries-Suspected Patients Attending the Ayder Comprehensive Specialized Hospital and Private Dental Clinic in Mekelle, Northern Ethiopia

“…Poor dental hygiene results due to irregular tooth brushing habits which result in the formation of plaque as a consequence caused tooth decay. The finding of this study was in line with studies done in Debre Birhan, Debre Tabor, Aksum, Ethiopia, and Egypt [ 22 – 25 , 47 ]. This indicates underutilization of dental health facilities; unhealthy dietary habits and gaps in the knowledge, attitude, and practice of dental hygiene were the major causes of poor oral hygiene to develop dental caries infection [ 48 ].…”

“…The coronal caries scrap was vortexed for 30 seconds to become homogenized and then streaked on different agar plates such as Mitis Salivarius agar (HiMedia, India), blood agar, MacConkey agar, and Mannitol salt agar (Oxoid, Hampshire, UK) using a sterile cotton swab and incubated for 24 hours at 37°C. After incubation, colonies were observed for their morphology (opaque, spherical, and raised) and glistening bubbles on the surface due to excessive synthesis of glucan from sucrose on Mitis Salivarius agar media due to the growth of S. mutans [ 31 ][ 25 , 32 ]. The isolated pure cultures were subcultured on a blood agar slant for further identification.…”

“…In the study conducted in Egypt, 74% prevalence of dental caries among children was identified [ 22 ]. In Ethiopia, 78.2% prevalence of dental caries was found in the patients attending the Debre Tabor General Hospital [ 23 ], 35.4% prevalence of dental caries was identified in the patients attending the Axum Primary School [ 24 ], and 68.7% prevalence of dental caries was found in the patients attending the Debre Berhan Referral Hospital [ 25 ]. Despite the fact that many studies have been conducted to study dental caries in Ethiopia, none assessed the bacterial profile of dental caries.…”

“…In Ethiopia, there are few studies that show a higher prevalence of dental caries. However, the previous reports did not address the microbiological investigation and there is only one study done on the prevalence of Streptococcus mutans without assessing the AST assay to detect the AMR pathogens [ 25 ]. Moreover, there is no study on the bacterial profile in dental caries and the susceptibility pattern of the isolated bacteria [ 23 – 25 ].…”

“…However, the previous reports did not address the microbiological investigation and there is only one study done on the prevalence of Streptococcus mutans without assessing the AST assay to detect the AMR pathogens [ 25 ]. Moreover, there is no study on the bacterial profile in dental caries and the susceptibility pattern of the isolated bacteria [ 23 – 25 ]. Therefore, our study is aimed at determining the bacterial profile, antimicrobial susceptibility, biofilm formation in pathogens, and associated risk factors of dental caries in the study area.…”