Genotypic diversity of Streptococcus mutans isolated from preschoolers with and without early dental care

Abstract

Introduction Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans) exhibits extensive genotypic diversity, but the role of this variation is poorly understood. Objective To evaluate the genotypic diversity of S. mutans in preschoolers with and without early dental care and to associate it with dental caries experience. Material and method Twenty children, aged five year old, with history of dental care since they were one year old (G1) and 20 children without history of dental care (G2) were included. Their oral health status was assessed by the dmft index. S. mutans samples were isolated from the saliva and analysed by polymerase chain reaction. A total of 339 S. mutans isolates (173 from G1 and 166 from G2) were genotyped by random amplified polymorphic DNA with arbitrary primers OPA-02 and OPA-13. Result The results revealed 75 distinct genotypes of S. mutans in G1 and 73 in G2. Furthermore, G1 and G2 subjects harboured one to eight and one to seven distinct genotypes of S. mutans, respectively. A statistically significant association (P=0.021) and a moderate correlation (r= 0.503) were observed between dental caries experience and genotypic diversity of S. mutans in G1. Conclusion From the limitations of the study design, we just can hypothesize that actions of early dental care carried out by an educative-preventive program can contribute to a distinct oral microbiota.

Evaluation of the Antibacterial Effect of Grape Seed Extract on Streptococcus Mutans in Children

“…In the present study, streptococcus mutans were selected because they are known to be the main causative agents of dental caries. They are capable of forming a biofilm on the tooth surface, producing organic acid from different carbohydrates (acidity), they have the ability to thrive at low pH (acidity), the exceptional ability to outperform other bacteria through the development of bacteriocin, and their adaptability to rapidly evolving environments can be attributed as the major virulence factor (16) .…”