Dental caries and mutans streptococci in selected groups of urban and native Indian schoolchildren in Mexico.
Two groups of Mexican children aged 12-14 yr were examined for dental caries and salivary mutans streptococci counts. One hundred lived in Mexico City and 100 belonged to a native Mazahua Indian population. The prevalence of caries, diagnosed according to WHO, was 90% in Mexico City and 82% in the Indian community. Mean DMFT was 5.98 and 3.57 respectively. Saliva samples were analyzed for mutans streptococci by the "Strip mutans" method. Further identification of the biotype/serotype was done. Mutans streptococci were found in 95% of the urban children and 75% of the Indians. There was a statistically significant difference in the prevalence of mutans streptococci between the city and the rural samples. Streptococcus mutans was more frequently found than Streptococcus sobrinus.
del Rio Gomez
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Department of Cariology, School of Dentistry, University of Lund, Malmö, Sweden.
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D004245:DMF Index; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D003818:Dentition, Mixed; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007198:Indians, North American; D008297:Male; D008800:Mexico / Q000453:epidemiology; D010865:Pilot Projects; D015995:Prevalence; D012424:Rural Population; D012463:Saliva / Q000382:microbiology*; D013295:Streptococcus mutans / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D014505:Urban Population