Maternal Oral Bacterial Levels Predict Early Childhood Caries Development

Abstract

Objective: To calculate the association of maternal salivary bacterial challenge (mutans streptococci [MS] and lactobacilli [LB]) from pregnancy through 24 months' postpartum with child caries incidence (≥1 cavitated or restored teeth) at 36 months. Materials & Methods: Dental, salivary bacterial, sociodemographic, and behavioral measures were collected at three-to six-month intervals from a birth cohort of low-income Hispanic mother-child dyads (N = 243). We calculated the relative child caries incidence, adjusted for confounding, following higher maternal challenge of MS (>4500 colony-forming units per milliliter of saliva [CFU/mL]) and LB (>50 CFU/mL) based on multivariable models. Results: Salivary MS and LB levels were greater among mothers of caries-affected children versus caries-free children. Mothers with higher salivary MS challenge were more likely to have MS-positive children (>0 CFU/mL), but maternal LB challenge was not a statistically significant predictor of child LB-positive status. Adjusting for sociodemographics, feeding and care practices, and maternal dental status, higher maternal salivary challenge of both MS and LB over the study period predicted nearly double the child caries incidence versus lower MS and LB (cumulative incidence ratio: 1.9; 95% confidence interval: 1.1, 3.8). Conclusion: Maternal salivary bacterial challenge not only is associated with oral infection among children but also predicts increased early childhood caries occurrence.

Perceptions and Practices of Dental Caries Prevention by Maryland Latinas: A Qualitative Study

“…Optimal oral health of women is especially important because of the material-child transmission of oral bacteria and the potential associated risk for dental caries [14,15].…”

“…Most participants had not heard of fluoride and even those who had, did not understand its importance in caries prevention [14]. "El barniz, ¿no es el mismo que le llaman el esmalte?"…”

A Life Course Perspective on Health Trajectories and Transitions

“…Similarly, parental dental status at age 10 was related to adult oral health among three different birth cohorts (born 1929-1938, 1939-1948 and 1959-1960) in Norway (Holst and Schuller 2012). To further corroborate intergenerational effects, a small study from the US among a low-income Hispanic cohort found that mothers' levels of cariogenic bacteria in their saliva were related to levels of caries experienced by their children (Chaffee et al 2014). The authors suggest that the association is likely to be due to shared environmental factors, as well as direct maternal-to-child transfer of bacteria.…”

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