Diet and caries-associated bacteria in severe early childhood caries.
Frequent consumption of cariogenic foods and bacterial infection are risk factors for early childhood caries (ECC). This study hypothesized that a short diet survey focused on frequency of foods, categorized by putative cariogenicity, would differentiate severe ECC (S-ECC) from caries-free children. Children's diets were obtained by survey and plaque bacteria detected by PCR from 72 S-ECC and 38 caries-free children. S-ECC children had higher scores for between-meal juice (p < 0.01), solid-retentive foods (p < 0.001), eating frequency (p < 0.005), and estimated food cariogenicity (p < 0.0001) than caries-free children. S-ECC children with lesion recurrence ate fewer putative caries-protective foods than children without new lesions. Streptococcus mutans (p < 0.005), Streptococcus sobrinus (p < 0.005), and Bifidobacteria (p < 0.0001) were associated with S-ECC, and S. mutans with S. sobrinus was associated with lesion recurrence (p < 0.05). S. mutans-positive children had higher food cariogenicity scores. Food frequency, putative cariogenicity, and S. mutans were associated with S-ECC individually and in combination.
Palmer
C A
CA
Department of Public Health and Community Service, Tufts University School of Dental Medicine, Boston, MA 02111, USA.
Kent
R
R
Loo
C Y
CY
Hughes
C V
CV
Stutius
E
E
Pradhan
N
N
Dahlan
M
M
Kanasi
E
E
Arevalo Vasquez
S S
SS
Tanner
A C R
AC
D001628:Beverages; D001644:Bifidobacterium / Q000302:isolation & purification; D002648:Child; D002652:Child Behavior; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000209:etiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D003773:Dental Plaque / Q000382:microbiology; D004032:Diet; D004037:Diet, Cariogenic; D004326:Drinking; D004327:Drinking Behavior; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005502:Food; D005638:Fruit; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012008:Recurrence; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013291:Streptococcus / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D013295:Streptococcus mutans / Q000302:isolation & purification; D016986:Streptococcus sobrinus / Q000302:isolation & purification