title: Oral bacteria resistant to mercury and to antibiotics are present in children with no previous exposure to amalgam restorative materials.
abstract: Dental plaque from 76 children without amalgam restorations was screened for bacteria resistant to mercuric chloride. Seventy-one per cent of the children harboured mercury-resistant oral bacteria and the median percentage of the total oral microflora resistant to mercuric chloride was 0.007% (range 0-5.3%). Eighty-seven mercury-resistant bacteria were isolated and 86% of these were streptococci with Streptococcus mitis predominating. Sixty per cent of the mercury-resistant isolates were also resistant to at least one of the four antibiotics tested (penicillin, ampicillin, erythromycin and tetracycline) with resistance to tetracycline (40% of isolates) most frequently encountered.
authors.affiliation: Eastman Dental Hospital, University College London Hospitals NHS Trust, 256 Gray's Inn Road, WC1X 8LD, London, UK. dready@eastman.ucl.ac.uk
authors.forename: Derren
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ready
authors.forename: Fizza
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Qureshi
authors.forename: Raman
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bedi
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mullany
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wilson
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003723:Dental Amalgam; D003773:Dental Plaque / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology; D004202:Disinfectants / Q000494:pharmacology*; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial; D004917:Erythromycin / Q000494:pharmacology; D006801:Humans; D008627:Mercuric Chloride / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015995:Prevalence; D013290:Streptococcal Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D013752:Tetracycline / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013754:Tetracyclines / Q000494:pharmacology*; D034363:Viridans Streptococci / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D004202:Disinfectants; D013754:Tetracyclines; D008627:Mercuric Chloride; D004917:Erythromycin; D003723:Dental Amalgam; D013752:Tetracycline