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.

Management of compound odontoma with guided bone regeneration: a case report

An odontoma is a mixed benign odontogenic tumor, being a hamartomatous neoplastic lesion of odontogenic epithelial and mesenchymal cells that form enamel, dentine and cement, which occurs in the second to third decade of life, and is commonly a radiographic finding. The aim of this paper is to describe the management of a compound odontoma with guided bone regeneration. A 20-year-old asymptomatic male patient with no relevant surgical medical history underwent surgery for the enucleation of a compound odontoma followed by guided bone regeneration of the defect, and histopathological study of the specimen. The evolution was favorable, without any sign of recurrence. It is important to carry out a previous surgical plan, taking into account the size of the defect resulting from its enucleation, assess the need for guided bone regeneration and use complementary diagnostic resources for a satisfactory recovery.