Oral Microbiota of Children Undergoing Comprehensive Treatment for Severe ECC

Introduction: Early Childhood Caries (ECC) is the presence of one or more decayed, missing, or filled tooth surfaces in any primary tooth in a child <6 years old. ECC is one of the leading oral health problems that affect the growth, development and quality of life of many New Zealand pre-school children. However, in severe ECC (S‑ECC) cases, recurrence of carious lesions can occur despite comprehensive restorative treatment. Objectives: The aim of this preliminary study was to determine changes in the oral bacterial compositions of young children before and after comprehensive restorative treatment for S-ECC. Methods: Plaque samples were obtained from 5 children 2-6 years old with S‑ECC. Children were sampled at three time points, pre-treatment, 2 weeks post-treatment and 3 months post-treatment. Microbiological analysis was performed on plaque samples, targeting the potentially-cariogenic streptococci using mutans selective agar. Results: . The microbiological analyses of plaque samples from the five S-ECC patients not only revealed the presence of the expected cariogenic culprits such as Streptococcus mutans, Streptococcus sobrinus, Lactobacillus casei and Lactobacillus rhamnosus but also other streptococcal species (e.g., Streptococcus mitis, Streptococcus anginosus). S. mutans was detected at all three time points in one patient. Conclusion: Mutans streptococci are indeed present before and after comprehensive restorative treatment, and further studies will reveal whether certain strains survived the restorative treatment. These isolates will be of further interest if any of the 30 patients experience a recurrence of S-ECC.