Oral Lactobacilli Related to Caries Status of Children with Primary Dentition

This study isolated oral lactobacilli from a group of children with primary dentition for determination ofLactobacillus prevalence, detection ofStreptococcus mutans, a major pathogen of caries initiation, and dental caries status of the children. Species ofLactobacillus isolates were determined from examination of 16S rDNA sequences. Subsequently, the most prevalent species was evaluated for involvement in caries status, and binding ability to type I collagen of allLactobacillus isolates was determined in association with caries status. Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) of eleven loci was carried out to study strains of the predominantLactobacillus sp. The detection of oral lactobacilli together withS. mutans was significantly associated with the highest dental caries indices, but there was no involvement of collagen-binding properties ofLactobacillus isolates in caries status.Lactobacillus fermentum was the most prevalent, and its presence was related to high scores of caries indices. MLST analysis ofL. fermentum population could not specify a particular clone associated with caries status, but revealed sharing of identicalL. fermentum strains among children in the same classrooms. Taken together, the data contributed useful information on the role of oral lactobacilli, in particularL. fermentum in dental caries.Caries Res
Source: Caries Research - Category: Dentistry Source Type: research