The Effect of Probiotics Use on Salivary Cariogenic Bacteria in Orthodontic Patients with Various Caries Risk Status.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the change in intraoral cariogenic bacteria density after probiotic use in patients with orthodontic treatment, and to compare the impact of probiotics in patients with various caries risk status. METHODS: Patients that planned to receive orthodontic treatment were recruited according to this study's inclusion/exclusion criteria. A probiotic prescription (Lactobacteria 3 mg, Glycobacteria 2 mg) was started one month after the initial orthodontic treatment. Saliva sampling and cultures using a CRT kit (caries risk test) were performed at three time points (T0, T1, T2). Mutans streptococci (MS) and Lactobacilli (LB) density were evaluated and scored using the interpretation chart in the CRT kit to evaluate the change in bacteria density at three time points, to define the high and low caries risk prior to orthodontic treatment, and to evaluate if there were differences in probiotics between the high and low caries risk groups. RESULTS: Thirty-three orthodontic patients were enrolled, twenty-two classified as high caries risk and eleven as low caries risk. After undergoing treatment for one month, the densities of MS and LB increased significantly (p = 0.011, p = 0.001); probiotics for one month decreased the density of MS and LB, but the differences were statistically nonsignificant (p = 0.109, p = 0.109). Patients classified as low risk of caries demonstrated an increase in MS and LB density one month after orthodontic treatment (p = 0.024, p = 0.001), probiotic use did not result in a significant reduction in bacteria density (p = 1000, p = 0.933). In patients with high caries risk, there were no statistically significant changes in MS count between the three time points (p = 0.127); a significant change in LB density occurred at T0-T1 (p = 0.011) only. CONCLUSIONS: Supplemental use of probiotic oral tablets during orthodontic treatment aimed at reducing cariogenic bacteria count in saliva did not achieve significant differences, regardless of patients' risk status for caries.

Evaluation of skeletal and dentoalveolar changes in class II division I pediatric patients receiving myofunctional appliance therapy: A preliminary study.

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: The treatment effect of myofunctional appliance therapy has remained debated. The aim of this study was to evaluate the skeletal and dentoalveolar effects in class II division I pediatric patients receiving Education Fonctionnelle (EF) myofunctional appliance therapy. METHODS: Thirteen patients undergoing EF appliance treatment (9 boys and 4 girls；average 9.3years old) met the inclusion criteria and 13 untreated patients (9 boys and 4 girls；average 9.9 years old) served as controls. Initial and one-year follow-up lateral cephalometric measurement was used to assess skeletal and dentoalveolar changes. Gender ratio was analyzed using Chi-square test. Age and cephalometric measurement changes within and between the two groups were analyzed using Mann-Whitney U test and Wilcoxon signed rank test and Benjamini - Hochberg procedure. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in age, gender ratio, and initial cephalometric measurement data between the two groups. One-year follow-up skeletal findings revealed no significant differences between the two groups. Regarding the dentoalveolar changes, only the values of the upper incisor angle related parameters revealed significances between the two group (with adjusted p value). CONCLUSION: In this preliminary small sample size study, the EF group demonstrated significant upper incisor angle decrease, lower incisor angle increase, and lower incisor tip to mandibular plane distance decrease in comparison to the values measured in the control group. However, only the upper incisor angle changes were statistically significant after p-value adjustment. The skeletal effect of the EF appliance could not be verified in one-year follow-up of cephalometric data.

Correlation between salivary mutans streptococci, lactobacilli and the severity of early childhood caries.

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Mutans streptococci (MS) and lactobacilli (LB) are associated with dental caries, but the acquisition of these organisms in young children with early childhood caries (ECC) and severe early childhood caries (S-ECC) has only been partly described. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the salivary MS and LB levels of preschool children with ECC and S-ECC, and the correlation of MS, LB levels with caries severity. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study population was comprised of children from 3 to 6 years of age who visited the Pediatric Dental clinic of TCVGH. Oral examinations were performed, and whole unstimulated salivary samples were collected for buffer capacity, MS and LB counts by using commercially available diagnostic kits (CRT bacteria kit). The participants were divided into mild (dmft < 6), moderate (dmft:6-9) and severe caries (dmft > 9) groups; the salivary microbiological tests and buffer capacity were compared. RESULTS: A total of 72 children with a mean age of 4.5 years participated in this study. The salivary test showed that the higher the salivary MS level the more severe the caries status in children (P = 0.001). There was also a tendency toward a higher salivary LB level in children with more severe caries, but the difference was not significant (P = 0.088). There was no significant correlation between buffer capacity and caries status. CONCLUSION: The salivary MS level in preschool children was significantly correlated with the severity of early childhood caries.