title: Salivary microbiota and caries occurrence in Mutans Streptococci-positive school children.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare the composition of the salivary microbiota in caries-affected vs. caries-free mutans streptococci (MS)- positive children with mixed dentition.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty eight healthy, 11-12-year-old schoolchildren with high MS counts (>10⊃5 CFU/mL) were included in this study. The children were screened with the Dentocult SM Strip Mutans test (Orion Diagnostica, Espoo, Finland) and examined using the International Caries Detection and Assessment System (ICDAS). The microbial composition of the saliva was assessed using the Human Oral Microbe Identification Microarray (HOMIM). Microbial differences between caries-affected (n=18) and caries-free children (n=10) were compared by Mann-Whitney analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The microbiota of the caries-affected vs. caries-free children was rather similar. Abiotrophia defectiva and Actinomyces meyeri/A. odontolyticus were significantly higher in caries-affected than in caries-free children (p=0.006, 0.046, respectively). Shuttleworthia satelles was significantly higher in caries-free compared to caries-affected children (p=0.031). A. defectiva and A. meyeri/A. odontolyticus correlated positively with caries severity measured by ICDAS Caries Index (p = 0.494, 0.454, 0.400 respectively) while S. satelles was negatively correlated with caries severity (p= -0.489).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Salivary A. defectiva and A. meyeri/A. odontolyticus and are associated with caries occurrence in MS-positive children with mixed dentition.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Dentistry, Kuwait University, Kuwait - Institute of Dentistry, University of Turku, Finland.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: ElSalhy
authors.affiliation: Institute of Dentistry, University of Turku, Finland.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Söderling
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Dentistry, Kuwait University, Kuwait.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Honkala
authors.affiliation: Department of Cariology, Restorative Sciences ∧ Endodontics, School of Dentistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fontana
authors.affiliation: Department of Cariology, Restorative Sciences ∧ Endodontics, School of Dentistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Flannagan
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, The Forsyth Institute, Cambridge, USA.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kokaras
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral Medicine, Infection AND Immunity, Harvard School of Dental Medicine, Boston, USA.
authors.forename: B J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Paster
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Dentistry, Kuwait University, Kuwait.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Varghese
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Dentistry, Kuwait University, Kuwait.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Honkala
mesh_terms: D058835:Abiotrophia / Q000302:isolation & purification; D000190:Actinomyces / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification; D000191:Actinomycetaceae / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification; D058491:Bacterial Load; D056568:Carnobacteriaceae / Q000302:isolation & purification; D002648:Child; D004245:DMF Index; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000382:microbiology*; D003818:Dentition, Mixed; D058834:Gemella / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006094:Gram-Positive Bacteria / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006801:Humans; D012463:Saliva / Q000382:microbiology*; D013291:Streptococcus / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification; D013295:Streptococcus mutans / Q000302:isolation & purification*