Salivary levels of Streptococcus mutans and Streptococcus sanguinis in early childhood caries: An in vivo study

• Main Authors: Loomba, A. (Author), Patidar, D. (Author), Patidar, D.C (Author), Shinu, P. (Author), Singh, V. (Author), Sogi, S. (Author)
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications 2018
• Subjects: child; Child; Child, Preschool; Cross-Sectional Studies; cross-sectional study; dental caries; Dental caries; Dental Caries; Dental Plaque; dental treatment; female; Female; human; Humans; isolation and purification; male; Male; microbiology; microflora; oral environment; preschool child; saliva; Saliva; Streptococcus mutans; Streptococcus sanguinis; Streptococcus sanguis; tooth plaque
• Online Access: View Fulltext in Publisher

 Background: The oral microflora primarily involved in early childhood caries (ECC) is Streptococcus mutans while Streptococcus sanguinis is related to healthy caries-free mouth. The antagonism between the two at biological level is well recognized. Aim: This study aims to compare the pre-and posttreatment salivary levels of S. mutans and S. sanguinis in ECC. Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed on 40 eligible participants. Clinical examination was done, and decayed teeth were recorded. Pre-and Posttreatment saliva sample was taken, processed and bacterial counts were compared. Results: A statistically significant posttreatment reduction was found in S. mutans counts; however, a significant posttreatment elevation was seen in S. sanguinis counts (P < 0.001) using Wilcoxon signed-rank test. A significant weak positive correlation was found between S. mutans and decayed teeth in the mouth (r = 0.366 and P = 0.028) using Spearman's correlation. No significant gender association was found between pre-and posttreatment S. mutans and S. sanguinis counts (P = 0.908) and also between decayed teeth (P = 0.321) using Mann-Whitney U-Test. Conclusion: Complete dental treatment procedure showed significant reduction and elevation in S. mutans and S. sanguinis counts, respectively. A positive association was observed between S. mutans and ECC while S. sanguinis were positively associated with posttreatment oral environment. © 2018 Medknow. All rights reserved.