title: The use of a concentrated oral rinse culture technique to sample oral candida and lactobacilli in children, and the relationship between candida and lactobacilli levels and dental caries experience: a pilot study.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to test the suitability of a concentrated rinse culture technique, previously applied to adults, as a method for sampling the oral cavity of children on a community basis. The technique was used to assess the levels of oral candida and lactobacilli in the mouths of a group of 32 14- to 15-year-old children and to relate this to their past caries experience. Caries experience was assessed by means of a DMFS count. Each subject rinsed with 10 ml of buffered saline for 1 minute for microbial sampling. The oral rinse was concentrated by centrifugation and cultured on to selective media for candida and lactobacilli. The rinse technique proved simple and effective as a means of sampling the oral flora in children. The level of candida was more easily assessed and appeared to be a more useful indicator of microbial risk factors in caries than the lactobacilli count.
authors.affiliation: Department of Restorative Dentistry and Microbiology, The Queen's University of Belfast, UK.
authors.forename: W A
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: Coulter
authors.forename: S D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Murray
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Kinirons
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002175:Candida / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D004245:DMF Index; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000382:microbiology*; D003732:Dental Caries Activity Tests; D006801:Humans; D007778:Lactobacillus / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D008297:Male; D009067:Mouthwashes; D010865:Pilot Projects; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D013048:Specimen Handling
chemical_list: D009067:Mouthwashes