title: A comparison between commercial kits and conventional methods for enumeration of salivary mutans streptococci and lactobacilli.
abstract: Mutans streptococci (ms) and lactobacilli levels were determined by conventional and commercial dip-slide methods in three groups of young subjects, aged 5-6 years (93 subjects), 12-13 years (78 subjects) and 18-20 years (81 subjects). Using the same paraffin-stimulated saliva samples, ms and lactobacilli were estimated by conventional viable counts on modified mitis-salivarius agar (MSB) and Rogosa agar plates, and by inoculation of Dentocult SM and Dentocult LB dip-slides (Orion Diagnostica, Finland). The salivary ms and lactobacilli counts obtained from conventional agar plates were significantly correlated (P < 0.0001) with the dip-slide estimates of these organisms (Kendal Tau = 0.56, 0.71 respectively). Subjects in Group 2 showed the highest proportion (77 per cent) of individuals with salivary ms levels above 2.5 x 10(5) cfu/ml saliva; 99 per cent of that group had detectable levels of lactobacilli. Significantly different median salivary ms and lactobacilli levels were demonstrated between all groups except for lactobacilli levels between Groups 2 and 3. These dip-slide tests provided suitable and simple methods for screening salivary lactobacilli and ms levels which may have a useful role in the assessment of caries risk.
authors.affiliation: Department of Child Dental Health, London Hospital Medical College, UK.
authors.forename: E S
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Davenport
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Day
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Hardie
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Smith
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D004245:DMF Index; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000382:microbiology; D006801:Humans; D007778:Lactobacillus / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D015588:Observer Variation; D011933:Reagent Kits, Diagnostic / Q000592:standards*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012307:Risk Factors; D012463:Saliva / Q000382:microbiology*; D013295:Streptococcus mutans / Q000302:isolation & purification*
chemical_list: D011933:Reagent Kits, Diagnostic