title: Correlation between dental caries experience and mutans streptococci counts using saliva and plaque as microbial risk indicators in 3-8 year old children. A cross Sectional study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Determination of the relative amounts of mutans streptococcus in both saliva and plaque and to study its correlation with dental caries in children.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study comprised of 60 children aged 3-8 years divided into 2 groups (30 children in each): Group A- Children with more than 4 carious teeth and Group B- Children without caries. Saliva and plaque was collected from children of both the groups with the help of Dentocult SM strip test kit (Orion Diagnostic). Following incubation, mutans streptococcus scores (from 0 to 3) in each individual was evaluated and compared between both the groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  On comparing the two groups, mean ± SD of saliva score and plaque score was 2.40 ± 0.675 and 2.40 ± 0.621 respectively in group A, whereas it was 0.60 ± 0.498 and 0.83 ± 0.531 in children of group B showing a significant correlation (p = < 0.001) between mutans streptococci scores in both saliva and plaque and dental caries experience.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is a direct and strong co-relation between the salivary and plaque mutans streptococcus counts and caries activity in children aged 3-8 years. Key words:Mutans streptococci, dentocult, dental caries.
authors: Post Graduate Student, Department of Pedodontics and Preventive Dentistry, I.T.S Centre for Dental Studies and Research, Ghaziabad.
authors: Jasmine
authors: J
authors: Nanda
authors: MDS, Department of Pedodontics and Preventive Dentistry, I.T.S Centre for Dental Studies and Research, Ghaziabad.
authors: Vinod
authors: V
authors: Sachdev
authors: MDS, Department of Pedodontics and Preventive Dentistry, I.T.S Centre for Dental Studies and Research, Ghaziabad.
authors: Meera
authors: M
authors: Sandhu
authors: MDS, Department of Pedodontics and Preventive Dentistry, I.T.S Centre for Dental Studies and Research, Ghaziabad.
authors: Kanwar
authors: K
authors: Deep-Singh-Nanda