Evaluation the oral hygiene conditions, oral Candida colonization and salivary Streptococcus mutans and Lactobacilli density in a group of β-thalassemic children and adolescence

Multilocus sequence typing and phenotypic properties of Streptococcus mutans from Thai children with different caries statuses

BACKGROUND

Streptococcus mutans is studied for its acidogenic and aciduric characteristics, notably its biofilm formation in the presence of sucrose, toward its role in the caries process. Variations in both genotype and phenotype have been reported among clinical isolates of S. mutans. This study aimed to examine genotypic and phenotypic characteristics of S. mutans obtained from Thai children with varying caries statuses.

METHODS

We determined the presence of S. mutans and caries status in 395 children aged 3-4 years. From 325 children carrying S. mutans, we selected 90 with different caries statuses-caries-free (CF; n = 30), low severity of caries (LC; n = 30), or high severity of caries (HC; n = 30). Three isolates of S. mutans were taken from each child, thus, a total of 270 isolates were obtained. Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) was used to genotype the isolates and assess their clonal relationships. The properties, including biofilm formation, collagen binding, and acid production and tolerance were also evaluated.

RESULTS

Children with carious lesions showed a higher detection rate and number of S. mutans in saliva than those without caries. S. mutans from individuals with HC status showed the lowest biofilm formation ability, while this group had the highest detection rate of collagen-binding isolates. There was no difference in acid production or tolerance by caries status. Genotyping by MLST did not reveal any clone of S. mutans specific to CF status. This result remained even when we included MLST data from the open-access PubMLST database. MLST did identify clones containing only strains from caries-affected hosts, but tests of their phenotypic properties did not reveal any differences between S. mutans from these clones and clones that were from both caries-free and caries-affected children.

CONCLUSIONS

The clonal relationships of S. mutans indicated by MLST were not associated with the status of dental caries in the host.

Efficacy of 0.12% Chlorhexidine and Salvadora persica-based Mouthwash in Reducing Oral Candida Carriage and Periodontal Inflammation in Cigarette Smokers and Non-smokers after Non-surgical Periodontal Therapy

PURPOSE

The present study assessed the efficacy of 0.12% chlorhexidine (CHX) and Salvadora persica-based mouthwashes (SPM) in reducing oral Candida carriage (OCC) and periodontal inflammation in cigarette smokers and non-smokers after non-surgical periodontal treatment (NSPT).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Self-reported cigarette smokers and non-smokers with periodontal inflammation as well as non-smokers with a healthy periodontal status were included. NSPT was performed in all participants. Based on the type of mouthwash, participants were randomly divided into three groups as follows: group 1: CHX; group 2: SPM; and group 3: distilled water (ddH2O) with mint flavour (control group). Clinical attachment loss (CAL), plaque index (PI), gingival index (GI), probing depth (PD), and marginal bone loss (MBL) were measured. Clinical periodontal parameters were re-assessed at a 6-week follow-up. Oral yeast samples were collected and identified using a concentrated oral-rinse culture technique and PCR, respectively. Clinical and laboratory-based investigations were done at baseline and after six weeks. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05.

RESULTS

At baseline, PI, MBL, PD and CAL were comparable in all participants. None of the patients had periodontitis at baseline. Post-operatively, CHX and SPM were more effective in reducing PI (p < 0.01), GI (p < 0.01) and PD (p < 0.01) in non-smokers than in the control group. The OCC was statistically significantly higher among smokers compared with non-smokers at baseline. At the 6-month follow-up, CHX was more effective than SPM in reducing OCC in non-smokers (p < 0.01). At the 6-week follow-up, there was no difference in OCC among cigarette smokers regardless of the type of mouthwash prescribed postoperatively.

CONCLUSION

In cigarette smokers and non-smokers, CHX and SPM are effective in reducing periodontal soft-tissue inflammation after NSPT. Post-operative use of CHX is more effective than SPM in reducing OCC.