The Effect of Povidone-Iodine on S. mutans Levels in Young Children with Caries
An antibacterial agent that is effective and acceptable to young children will be a useful supplement to behavior modification techniques for the prevention of early childhood caries. Objective: The objective of this pilot project was to determine the effect of three applications of a 10% povidone-iodine solution on S.mutans in children with dental caries. Methods: Twenty-five children between 2 and 6.8 years of age were enrolled, with dmfs, mean (S.D.), of 27.9 (11.4). All subjects were scheduled for dental rehabilitation under general anesthesia in a pediatric dental practice. Following dental treatment, children, randomly assigned to the experimental group (N=13), had povidone-iodine applied 3 times at 2-month intervals; 12 children were assigned to a no-treatment control group. Plaque samples were taken from all children at baseline and 6-months and cultured for total bacteria and S.mutans. Results: Povidone-iodine application was well-accepted by all experimental children. At baseline, experimental and control children had similar dietary habits, dmfs, and S.mutans levels. All childrens' S.mutans counts decreased significantly at 6-months, P=0.0004. Although the overall S.mutans decrease was greater for experimental children than for control children, this difference was not significant, P=0.58. Ten of 13 experimental children had a >1 log10 decrease in S.mutans over 6 months, compared with 7 of 12 control children. The number of children with new cavitated carious lesions at 6 months was the same for both groups. Conclusion: For this group of children, the effect of rehabilitation under general anesthesia may have made a major contribution to decreasing plaque S.mutans at 6-months post-treatment that masked the effect of povidone-iodine. Results suggest that povidone-iodine may have an effect on S.mutans, but additional research with more subjects and a longer time period after application are indicated. Supported by NIDCR CCOHR Grant #DE13061.
Division: AADR/CADR Annual Meeting
Meeting:2003 AADR/CADR Annual Meeting (San Antonio, Texas) Location: San Antonio, Texas
Year: 2003 Final Presentation ID:672 Abstract Category|Abstract Category(s):Cariology Research
Authors
Amin, Maryam
( University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
)
Harrison, Rosamund L
( University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
)
Benton, Tonya S.
( University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
)
Weinstein, Philip
( University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
)
Roberts, Marilyn C.
( University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
)