516 - Salivary Streptococcus mutans levels as a risk biomarker for ECC

Background: Streptococcus mutans (SM) is frequently associated with the development of caries in children, changes in its salivary levels can be considered as a biomarker of the progression of early childhood caries (ECC).

Aim:   To evaluate salivary SM levels as risk biomarkers in the different stages of treatment in children with Early Childhood Caries (ECC).

Method: Eighty-nine children with ECC treated at the pediatric dentistry clinic of the University of Chile were analyzed. Saliva samples were taken at the beginning and after preventive and rehabilitative treatment. The differences between the levels of microorganisms were analyzed quantitatively according to risk categories. To determine statistically differences between the microbiological levels in the different stages of the treatment, the Wilcoxon test was used. To evaluate the relationship of the variation of risk levels according to SM with the different treatments carried out, the chi square test was used.

Results: Statistically significant differences were found when comparing the concentrations of salivary SM at the beginning and after preventive treatment (P = 0.003) and after rehabilitative treatment (P = 0.000), as well as the concentrations between both treatments. (P < .05).

Conclusion: The levels of SM analyzed constituted a risk biomarker during treatment in children with ECC.

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