Association between Streptococcus mutanslevels and severity of caries in Ecuadorian schoolchildren aged 6 to 10 years

Dental caries is a multifactorial, infectious and communicable disease, and Streptococcus mutans is the key microorganism related to this pathology. The objective of this study was to evaluate the association between the levels of Streptococcus mutans and caries in schoolchildren. Descriptive, cross-sectional study conducted on 100 schoolchildren aged 6 to 10 years from the Unidad Educativa Checa Cuenca, Ecuador. ICDAS index and odontogram were used to measure the prevalence and severity of caries. For the identification and quantification of Streptococcus mutans, dental plaque samples were used for cultivation and biochemical tests (MicroScan). The results were analyzed statistically using absolute and relative frequencies, for bivariate analysis Chi-squared test and Fisher's Test (p <0.05) were used. 96% of the schoolchildren presented dental caries, 69% of them were children aged 8 to 10 years, the prevalence of caries was higher in females reaching 57%. High (60,000UFC/ml) and very high (70,000UFC/ml) levels of Streptococcus mutans were found on schoolchildren aged 8 to 10 years reaching 22% and 8%, respectively (p =0.005). Regarding sex, high (60,000UFC/ml) as well as very low (0- 20,000UFC/ml) levels of Streptococcus mutans appeared without difference by sex (p = 0.355). Schoolchildren without caries presented a low count of Streptococcus mutans (0 -20,000 UFC/ml), children with caries presented variable levels of Streptococcus mutans, although higher than 20,000UFC/ml (p <0.001). Conclusion: there is a high prevalence of caries in the school population with high levels of Streptococcus mutans.

Prevalence of temporomandibular disorders in a sample of Ecuadorian elderly

The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of temporomandibular disorders ( TMDs) in a sample of Ecuadorian older adults in 2018. This is a cross-sectional study, which was conducted with a sample of 143 older adults of both sexes of the "Senderito de Amor" Elderly Home. The evaluation instrument was the Helkimo index, with the following parameters: presence of muscle pain, difficulty in opening and closing movement, joint pain, joint noises, limitation of mouth opening, limitation of lateral movement, and propulsion and deviation of the jaw. Overall, 88.8% of the population had TMDs, with 85.7% in the group of 60­70 years, 81.8% in the group of 71­80 years, 96.7% in those over 80 years, and 81.0% men and 92.1% women. Statistically significant differences were found by age (p = 0.035), but not by sex (p = 0.055). The most frequent signs and symptoms were joint noise (82.5%), followed by deviation of the jaw during opening (60.1%), reduction of the mouth opening (41.3%), difficulty of opening movements and closure (35.0%), reduction in movements of laterality and propulsion (29.4%), joint and muscle pain (24.5%), muscle pain (18.9%), and joint pain (16.8%). In conclusion, there is a high prevalence of temporomandibular disorders in older adults, and the most frequent signs and symptoms were joint sounds and deviation of the jaw during the mouth opening