Salivary streptococcus mutans and lactobacilli in relation to rampant caries pattern among children

Abstract EN

Background : several interrelated factors which are the tooth and saliva (host), microorganisms, substrate and time are involved in the process of dental caries.

Rampant caries is a severe form of tooth decay that can affect primary or permanent teeth.

It is characterized by its speed of onset and progression.

Nursing caries is a type of rampant caries affecting the primary teeth of young children and has been associated with prolonged unrestricted bottle or breast feeding.

This study was conducted in order to estimate the salivary level of streptococcus mutans and lactobacilli among the rampant, nursing caries and control (caries free) children.

Materials and methods: Seventy five children aged 3 to 10 years old were included in the study.

Forty six children were selected for colony counting (19 children with nursing caries, 13 children with rampant and 14 children with caries free).Dental caries was measured using dmfs, DMFS for primary and permanent teeth respectively using the criteria of WHO.

One ml of unstipulated (resting) whole saliva was collected from the children using spitting method then diluted and applied on the surface of agar media specific for streptococcus mutans and lactobacilli growth.

Colony forming units with morphology characteristic of s.

mutans and lactobacilli were counted and expressed as numbers of CFU per ml of saliva.

Results: The results of present study showed no significant difference in the number of colonies of Streptococcus mutans and lactobacilli among nursing, rampant and caries free groups (p>0.05) however there was a highly significant difference in caries experience in the primary teeth among the three groups (p < 0.

01) and a significant difference in caries experience in the permanent teeth among the three groups (p < 0.05).

Conclusion : the etiology of dental caries is multifactorial in that simultaneous participation of multiple factors is required for caries to occur.

Streptococcus mutans and Lactobaculli are microorganisms with cariogenic capacity, however, their presence only do not determine the presence of dental caries.