title: Influence of caries-preventive measures in mothers on cariogenic bacteria and caries experience in their children.
abstract: Preventive measures, which reduced the salivary level of mutans streptococci in mothers, delayed colonization by these organisms in their children. The preventive programme was discontinued when the children were 3 years old. These children, at the age of 7 years, and their mothers were now examined to determine the effect of the earlier caries-preventive approach. The control mothers had significantly higher levels of salivary mutans streptococci and lactobacilli than the test mothers (p < 0.05). The median level of salivary mutans streptococci was 0.6 x 10(6) c.f.u. (colony-forming units) per ml in the test mothers and 1.3 x 10(6) c.f.u. in the control mothers. The median level of salivary lactobacilli was 10 times higher in control than test mothers (80 x 10(3) and 7 x 10(3) c.f.u. per ml, respectively). Significantly more children of control than test mothers carried mutans streptococci (95 versus 46%) (z-test; p < 0.01). Children of test mothers had lower salivary levels of mutants streptococci and lactobacilli (p < 0.05). Twenty three % of the test children were caries-free, compared with 9% of the control children (z-test; p < 0.01). The mean caries experience of the test children was also significantly lower than that of the control children (defstot 5.2 and 8.6, respectively; p < 0.05). The results show that reduction of the mutans streptococci in the mother during the emergence of the primary teeth in her child has a long-term influence on colonization by these bacteria and the caries experience in the child.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cariology, Faculty of Odontology, University of Göteborg, Sweden.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Köhler
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Andréen
mesh_terms: D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002710:Chlorhexidine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D004245:DMF Index; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005192:Family Health; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007778:Lactobacillus / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D012463:Saliva / Q000382:microbiology; D013295:Streptococcus mutans / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D016986:Streptococcus sobrinus / Q000302:isolation & purification
chemical_list: D002710:Chlorhexidine