Study of viridans streptococci and Staphylococcus species in cleft lip and palate patients before and after surgery.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the effect of surgery on types and colony count of Streptococcus and Staphylococcus species in cleft lip and palate (CLP) patients.


METHODS
Saliva samples were collected after the morning meal by placing a sterile cotton swab in the vestibule of the oral cavity from cleft lip and palate patients immediately preoperative and 12 weeks postoperative. Normal children were examined as a control group. Samples were cultured; Staphylococcus and Streptococcus isolates were identified and quantified.


METHODS
Fifteen cleft lip and palate patients and 22 normal children, aged 3 to 39 months were examined.


RESULTS
Streptococcus mitis biovar 1, Streptococcus salivarius and Streptococcus oralis of the viridans group of streptococci were the most commonly found in normal children, as well as in cleft lip and palate children. In the cleft lip and palate group, mean streptococcal count was 32.41 (29.80) and 46.46 (42.80) in the pre- and postoperative periods, respectively; in the normal group, the count was 20.93 (27.93) and 49.92 (34.72) at 0 week and 12 weeks, respectively. Staphylococcus aureus was the most common Staphylococcus species found in CLP patients, representing 47.4% postoperatively. In the cleft lip and palate children, mean staphylococcal count was 5.34 (8.13) and 0.56 (0.92) in the pre- and postoperative periods, respectively; in normal children, the count was 0.82 (1.98) and 0.60 (2.55) at 0 and 12 weeks, respectively. The differences were statistically significant only for the staphylococcal count between pre- and postoperative periods in children with cleft lip and palate as tested by analysis of variance (p < .05).


CONCLUSIONS
Cleft lip and palate patients had more colonization by S. aureus compared with normal children, and the colony count decreased significantly following surgical repair of the cleft lip and palate.
Arief
Erry Mochamad
EM
School of Dental Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kota Bharu, Kelantan, Malaysia. erry@kb.usm.my
Mohamed
Zeehaida
Z
Idris
Fauziah Mohamad
FM
D000704:Analysis of Variance; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002971:Cleft Lip / Q000382:microbiology*; D002972:Cleft Palate / Q000382:microbiology*; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D019647:Oral Surgical Procedures; D011184:Postoperative Period; D011300:Preoperative Care; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012463:Saliva / Q000382:microbiology; D013210:Staphylococcus / Q000302:isolation & purification; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D034363:Viridans Streptococci / Q000302:isolation & purification