Background and aims. Espar is a dairy product of probiotic nature that contains useful bacteria and high calcium content. The aim of this study was to analyze effects of daily consumption of Espar on the number of salivary mutans streptococci and the level of calcium content in a population of 15 to 17 year-old female students. Materials and methods. A double-blind randomized crossover study (n...

The potential pathogenic role of mutans streptococci in the etiology of dental caries is well-documented. Mutans streptococci are sensitive to chlorhexidine (CHX), and several methods for the clinical use of CHX have been described. An important target group for caries-preventive measures is patients with impaired salivary secretion due to the use of therapeutic drugs such as psychotropics. The...

Previous studies have suggested that probiotic supplements in dairy products may affect the oral microbial ecology, but the effect in orthodontic patients has not previously been reported. The aim of the present study was to examine whether short-term consumption of fruit yogurt containing probiotic bifidobacteria would affect the levels of salivary mutans streptococci and lactobacilli in patie...

BACKGROUND The prevalence of early childhood caries (ECC) among children in Beijing, China, has been increasing continuously though slowly. However, there is limited information about ECC in Beijing. The aim of this study was to identify risk factors of dental caries among preschool children in Beijing. METHODS For this case-control study, using a convenience sampling method, 787 children age...

Acquisition of mutans streptococci has been reported to most commonly occur at approximately 26 months of age. In the present study, we detected Streptococcus mutans and S. sobrinus using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays in children, then re-examined the subjects to determine the time of acquisition of these bacteria over a 1-year period. The subjects were 57 children ranging in age from ...

The present study examined the hypothesis that women with eating disorders associated with a history of chronic vomiting can be characterized by a salivary flora with high levels of aciduric organisms, such as, mutans streptococci, lactobacilli and yeast. Three groups of female subjects were studied: vomiting bulimics (G1; n = 14), and comparison groups selected for high Streptococcus mutans (G...

This report is part of a prospective study on dietary behaviours, feeding practices, oral hygiene and dental health during the first 18 months of life in a cohort of infants living in southern England. In this part of the study the prevalence of mutans streptococci in the plaque of 1-year-old children and its correlation with sociodemographic status, dietary behaviour and oral hygiene practices...

Streptococcus mutans is a Gram-positive, non-motile, non-spore forming, catalasenegative, facultative anaerobic cocci bacterium commonly found in the human oral cavity, is a significant contributor to tooth decay (David et al., 2011). The mutans streptococci comprise a group of seven species, of which Streptococcus mutans and Streptococcus sobrinus are the predominant species isolated from huma...

The adsorption of (3)H-labeled Streptococcus mutans 6715 cells to disks of hydroxyapatite (HA) was studied. The number of streptococci that adsorbed was logarithmically related to the concentration of cells available up to at least 2 x 10(8) per ml; equilibrium occurred within 45 min. Assay reliability was verified by direct scanning electron microscopic counts. Untreated HA disks exposed to bu...

OBJECTIVES Use of alternative medicine to control oral streptococci is a new topic worthy of further investigation. This study aimed to elucidate the dose-dependent anti-bacterial activity of crude aqueous extract of ripe Morinda citrifolia L. (Family: Rubiaceae) fruits against oral streptococci i.e. Streptococcus mutans and Streptococcus mitis, that cause dental caries in humans. METHODS Fre...