Streptococci mutans in the oral cavity of pre-dentate & dentate infant and mother pairs

Streptococci mutans (S. mutans) bacteria colonizes the oral cavity and initiates dental caries. Most studies of S. mutans in the oral cavity of children support that S. mutans appear in the mouth after the primary teeth have erupted, with the explanation that S. mutans need solid surfaces to colonize. More recent reports suggest that the tooth is no longer necessary for the colonization of S. mutans. The purpose of this study is to determine the presence and quantity of S. mutans concurrently in the mouths of a population of infants aged 6 and 12 months and their mothers. Study design is longitudinal with salivary S. mutans measured in the mother/infant pairs at 6 and 12 months from the infant's birth. The DentocultŪSM. kit is used for detection of S. mutans. Preliminary cross-sectional results in this ongoing study found 6/84 mother/infant pairs positive for S. mutans. Three of the infants in these pairs were pre-dentate and 3 were dentate. In the pairs with pre-dentate infants, 16/36 (44%) of the mothers were S. mutans positive (infant negative) and 0/36 (0%) of these pairs were mother negative and infant positive. In the 48 pairs with dentate infants, 24/48 (50%) of the mother were positive (infants negative) and 1/48 (2%) of these pairs were mother negative and infant positive. These preliminary results suggest that S. mutans in the mouths of the mothers puts the infant at higher odds of risk for S. mutans in the oral cavity regardless of state of dentition.