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Association of Streptococcus mutans Infection and Oral Developmental Nodules in Pre-dentate Infants

University of Queensland, School of Dentistry, 200 Turbot Street, Brisbane, Queensland 4000, Australia

W.K. Seow

University of Queensland, School of Dentistry, 200 Turbot Street, Brisbane, Queensland 4000, Australia, k.seow{at}mailbox.uq.edu.au

L.J. Walsh

University of Queensland, School of Dentistry, 200 Turbot Street, Brisbane, Queensland 4000, Australia

P. Bird

University of Queensland, School of Dentistry, 200 Turbot Street, Brisbane, Queensland 4000, Australia

D.I. Tudehope

New Life Centre, Mater Misericordiae Hospitals, Raymond Terrace, South Brisbane, Queensland 4105, Australia

D.M. Purdie

Queensland Institute of Medical Research, Population & Clinical Sciences Division, Herston Rd., Brisbane, Queensland, 4006, Australia

Since dental caries may present soon after tooth eruption, we hypothesized that colonization of Streptococcus mutans can occur in the predentate stages. In this study, we examined S. mutans colonization and its association with oral developmental nodules (Bohn's nodules) in 60 pre-term and 128 full-term, three-month-old infants. Overall, S. mutans was cultured from 30% (56/188) of the infants, and oral developmental nodules were noted in 55% (103/188). Compared with the pre-term, full-term infants showed a higher prevalence of S. mutans (34% vs. 20%, p < 0.02) as well as developmental nodules (61% vs. 42%, p < 0.05). In both groups, S. mutans was positively associated with numbers of developmental nodules in a dose-response relationship (p < 0.001), and with maternal salivary levels of the bacteria (p = 0.03). The permanence of S. mutans infection was confirmed by repeat saliva sampling at 6 months of age. Our results thus showed that many infants have already acquired S. mutans at 3 months of age, prior to tooth eruption.

Key Words: pre-term infants • oral developmental nodules • Bohn's nodules • Streptococcus mutans colonization • early childhood caries

Journal of Dental Research, Vol. 80, No. 10, 1945-1948 (2001)
DOI: 10.1177/00220345010800101601


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