title: Children with severe early childhood caries: pilot study examining mutans streptococci genotypic strains after full-mouth caries restorative therapy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Genotypic strains of mutans streptococci (MS) may vary in important virulence properties and be differentially affected by specific components of full-mouth caries restorative therapy. The purpose of this pilot study was to identify mutans streptococci strains that predominate  following caries restorative therapy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Plaque from 7 children with severe early childhood caries was collected before and following therapy. MS isolates (N=828) were subjected to polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and arbitrarily primed-PCR (AP-PCR) for assignment within MS strains.  Determining the longitudinal changes in MS strain distribution over time within each patient required the isolation of larger numbers of isolates per patient, but from fewer patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Up to 39 genotypic strains of Streptococcus mutans and Streptococcus sobrinus, and 7 genotypic  strains of non-MS streptococci were identified by AP-PCR and 16S ribosomal rRNA gene sequencing. The number of MS strains isolated from each patient were 3 to 7 prior to treatment, diminishing to 1 to 2 dominant MS strains in most patients 6 months following therapy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Caries  restorative therapy resulted in shifts of specific mutans streptococcus and non-mutans streptococcus strains. The implications are that caries restorative therapy affects the distribution of MS strains, and that well-accepted practices for caries prevention should be more closely examined  for efficacy.
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Dentistry, Department of Pediatric Dentistry, Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU), Portland, Ore, USA.
authors.forename: Elizabeth A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Palmer
authors.forename: Truman
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nielsen
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Peirano
authors.forename: Anna T
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Nguyen
authors.forename: Alex
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vo
authors.forename: Aivan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nguyen
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jackson
authors.forename: Tyler
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Finlayson
authors.forename: Rebecca
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sauerwein
authors.forename: Katie
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Marsh
authors.forename: Issac
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Edwards
authors.forename: Beth
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wilmot
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Engle
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Peterson
authors.forename: Tom
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Maier
authors.forename: Curtis A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Machida
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D017931:DNA Primers; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000628:therapy; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D010865:Pilot Projects; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D013291:Streptococcus / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S