title: Association of Streptococcus mutans infection and oral developmental nodules in pre-dentate infants.
abstract: Since dental caries may present soon after tooth eruption, we hypothesized that colonization of Streptococcus mutans can occur in the predentate stages. In this study, we examined S. mutans colonization and its association with oral developmental nodules (Bohn's nodules) in 60 pre-term and 128 full-term, three-month-old infants. Overall, S. mutans was cultured from 30% (56/188) of the infants, and oral developmental nodules were noted in 55% (103/188). Compared with the pre-term, full-term infants showed a higher prevalence of S. mutans (34% vs. 20%, p < 0.02) as well as developmental nodules (61% vs. 42%, p < 0.05). In both groups, S. mutans was positively associated with numbers of developmental nodules in a dose-response relationship (p < 0.001), and with maternal salivary levels of the bacteria (p = 0.03). The permanence of S. mutans infection was confirmed by repeat saliva sampling at 6 months of age. Our results thus showed that many infants have already acquired S. mutans at 3 months of age, prior to tooth eruption.
authors.affiliation: University of Queensland, School of Dentistry, Brisbane, Australia.
authors.forename: A K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Wan
authors.forename: W K
authors.initials: WK
authors.lastname: Seow
authors.forename: L J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Walsh
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bird
authors.forename: D L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Tudehope
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Purdie
mesh_terms: D000539:Alveolar Process / Q000382:microbiology; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D015331:Cohort Studies; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D003560:Cysts / Q000150:complications*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D016015:Logistic Models; D009059:Mouth Diseases / Q000150:complications*; D009061:Mouth Mucosa / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology*; D016017:Odds Ratio; D012463:Saliva / Q000382:microbiology; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D013290:Streptococcal Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000635:transmission; D013295:Streptococcus mutans / Q000254:growth & development*; D014059:Tongue / Q000382:microbiology