title: Caries risk assessment from dental plaque and salivary Streptococcus mutans counts on two culture media.
abstract: This study attempted to determine which combination of plaque or saliva, and tryptic soy agar, bacitracin (TSY20B) or mitis salivarius, bacitracin media, yielded the highest caries-predictive values for mutans counts in children with different caries prevalence. Sixty children were divided into three equally sized groups: caries free, low caries and high caries. Eighteen months later, their caries incidence and initial mutans count were compared. Fissure plaque on TSY20B yielded a high correlation between mutans counts and caries prevalence (P<0.009, r=3346) and incidence (P<0.003, r=4521). The caries-predictive values obtained demonstrate that the coefficient of variation of mutans counts from lower first-molar fissure plaque on TSY20B accounts for 20.4% of the variation in final caries index. This strong correlation provides a valuable tool for the identification of caries-prone individuals.
authors.affiliation: Health Attention Department, Metropolitan Autonomous University, Xochimilco Unit, Mexico City, Mexico. tlsperez@cueyatl.uam.mx
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sánchez-Pérez
authors.forename: A E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Acosta-Gío
mesh_terms: D000362:Agar; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002648:Child; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D003470:Culture Media; D004245:DMF Index; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D003733:Dental Caries Susceptibility; D003773:Dental Plaque / Q000382:microbiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012044:Regression Analysis; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012463:Saliva / Q000382:microbiology*; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D013295:Streptococcus mutans / Q000254:growth & development*
chemical_list: D003470:Culture Media; D000362:Agar