This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints and Permissions Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Loesche, W. J. Articles by Loos, P. J. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Loesche, W. J. Articles by Loos, P. J.

Association of Streptococcus mutans with Human Dental Decay

¹ Department of Oral Biology and Pedodontics, University of Michigan, School of Dentistry, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48104

ABSTRACT

The association of Streptococcus mutans with human dental decay was investigated by using several types of samples: (i) paraffin-stimulated saliva samples taken from children with from 0 to 15 decayed teeth; (ii) pooled occlusal and approximal plaque taken from children with no decayed or filled teeth, or from children with rampant caries of 10 or more teeth; (iii) plaque removed from single occlusal fissures that were either carious or noncarious. The results showed a significant association between plaque levels of S. mutans and caries. The strongest association, P < 0.0001, was found when plaque was removed from single occlusal fissures. Seventy-one percent of the carious fissures had S. mutans accounting for more than 10% of the viable flora, whereas 70% of the fissures that were caries free had no detectable S. mutans. Sixty-five percent of the pooled plaque samples from the children with rampant caries had S. mutans accounting for more than 10% of the viable flora, whereas 40% of the pooled samples from children that were caries free had no detectable S. mutans. Saliva samples tended to have low levels of S. mutans and were equivocal in demonstrating a relationship between S. mutans and caries.

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Kuramitsu, H. K., He, X., Lux, R., Anderson, M. H., Shi, W. (2007). Interspecies Interactions within Oral Microbial Communities. Microbiol. Mol. Biol. Rev. 71: 653-670 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Li, S., Bobek, L. A. (2006). Functional Analysis of Human MUC7 Mucin Gene 5'-Flanking Region in Lung Epithelial Cells. Am. J. Respir. Cell Mol. Bio. 35: 593-601 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Kreth, J., Merritt, J., Shi, W., Qi, F. (2005). Competition and Coexistence between Streptococcus mutans and Streptococcus sanguinis in the Dental Biofilm. J. Bacteriol. 187: 7193-7203 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Saxena, D., Li, Y., Caufield, P. W. (2005). Identification of Unique Bacterial Gene Segments from Streptococcus mutans with Potential Relevance to Dental Caries by Subtraction DNA Hybridization. J. Clin. Microbiol. 43: 3508-3511 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Li, Y., Pan, Y., Qi, F., Caufield, P. W. (2003). Identification of Streptococcus sanguinis with a PCR-Generated Species-Specific DNA Probe. J. Clin. Microbiol. 41: 3481-3486 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Caufield, P. W., Dasanayake, A. P., Li, Y., Pan, Y., Hsu, J., Hardin, J. M. (2000). Natural History of Streptococcus sanguinis in the Oral Cavity of Infants: Evidence for a Discrete Window of Infectivity. Infect. Immun. 68: 4018-4023 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Michalek, S., McGhee, JR, Mestecky, J, Arnold, R., Bozzo, L (1976). Ingestion of Streptococcus mutans induces secretory immunoglobulin A and caries immunity. Science 192: 1238-1240 [Abstract]