Low prevalence of Streptococcus mutans serotypes and poor eating habits in undergraduate dental students:
Streptococcus mutans serotypes and caries in dental students
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.46311/2318-0579.62.eUJ4716Keywords:
Oral care, Serotypes, Streptococcus mutansAbstract
The prevalence of caries in southeastern Mexico in individuals aged 20 to 24 is 83.5%. Caries development is multifactorial, including a cariogenic diet, poor oral hygiene, and limited health education. This preliminary longitudinal, single-blind study, utilizing non-probability sampling, aimed to evaluate oral hygiene, Streptococcus mutans prevalence, and caries frequency in undergraduate dental students. Sixty-seven students in their first semester and fifty-four in their second semester follow-up participated. Self-administered questionnaires gathered data on oral hygiene habits. Additionally, caries diagnosis using DMFT, supragingival plaque culture from tooth 46, and PCR with specific primers for S. mutans and its serotypes were performed. Over 74% of participants reported a high consumption of sugary beverages, and the Bass brushing technique was the most known. The overall caries prevalence was 54%. The DMFT index was 3.34 and 3.30 in the first and second semesters, respectively. Colony growth on Mitis-Salivarius agar was significantly higher in the first semester (Z=-4.8, p<0.0001). Culture-based prevalence of S. mutans was 85% and 44% in the first and second semesters, respectively. In contrast, PCR confirmation showed prevalence rates of 41% and 37% for the same periods, serotype c accounting for 80%. Undergraduate dental students exhibited high sugar consumption. The prevalence of caries and S. mutans was lower than that reported for the general population, and no significant association between S. mutans and caries was observed.
Downloads
References
Abranches, J., Miller, J. H., Martinez, A. R., Simpson-Haidaris, P. J., Burne, R. A., & Lemos, J. A. (2011). The collagen-binding protein Cnm is required for Streptococcus mutans adherence to and intracellular invasion of human coronary artery endothelial cells. Infection and Immunity, 79(6), pp. 2277-2284. doi.org/10.1128/iai.00767-10 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1128/IAI.00767-10
Aguilar-Díaz, F. C., Ponce-Cruz, Y. R., Mortellaro, C., Giacomello, M., Manfredi, B., Khijmatgar, S., … Del Fabbro, M. (2021). Knowledge, practices and perceptions regarding oral health preventive measures among Mexican dental students: A cross-sectional survey study. Journal of Biological Regulators and Homeostatic Agents, 35(2 Suppl. 1), pp. 163-171. doi.org/10.23812/21-2supp1-16 DOI: https://doi.org/10.23812/21-2supp1-16
Ballón-Salcedo, C. E., Cacya-Apaza, I. L., & Valdivia-Silva, J. (2019). Inmunidad de la mucosa oral: nuevas tendencias en investigación. Dermatología Peruana, 29(1), pp. 22-30
Barquera, R., Zunuga, J., Flores-Rivera, J., Corona, T., Penman, B., Hernández-Zaragoza, D., …Yunis, D. (2020). Diversity of HLA Class I and Class II blocks and conserved extended haplotypes in Lacandon Mayans. Scientific Reports, 10(3248). doi:10.1038/s41598-020-58897-5 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-58897-5
Bedoya-Correa, C. M., Rincón-Rodríguez, R. J., & Parada-Sanchez, M. T. (2021). Acidogenic and aciduric properties of Streptococcus mutans serotype c according to its genomic variability. European Journal of Oral Sciences, 129(6), pp. e12824. doi.org/10.1111/eos.12824 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/eos.12824
Beighton, D. (2005). The complex oral microflora of high-risk individuals and groups and its role in the caries process. Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology, 33(4), pp. 248-255. doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0528.2005.00232.x DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0528.2005.00232.x
Carletto-Körber, F. P., González-Ittig, R. E., Jimenez, M. G., & Cornejo, L. S. (2015). Serotype diversity of Streptococcus mutans and caries activity in children in Argentina. European Journal of Paediatric Dentistry, 16(3), pp. 177-180. Retrieved from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26418917
Chen, Z., Saxena, D., Caufield, P. W., Ge, Y., Wang, M., & Li, Y. (2007). Development of species-specific primers for detection of Streptococcus mutans in mixed bacterial samples. FEMS Microbiology Letters, 272(2), pp. 154-162. doi.org/10.1111/j.1574-6968.2007.00756.x DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1574-6968.2007.00756.x
De Angelis, M. T., Pasquantonio, G., Cerroni, L., Petrelli, D., Lauro, D., Longhi, M. … Vitali, L. A. (2016). Genotypic and phenotypic heterogeneity in Streptococcus mutans isolated from diabetic patients in Rome, Italy. SpringerPlus, 5(1), 1794. doi.org/10.1186/s40064-016-3470-0 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s40064-016-3470-0
Duque-de-Estrada-Riverón, J., Pérez-Quiñonez, J., & Hidalgo-Gato-Fuentes, I. (2006). Caries dental y ecología bucal, aspectos importantes a considerar [Dental caries and oral ecology, important aspects to consider]. Revista Cubana de Estomatología, 43(1), pp. 47-55. Retrieved from https://revestomatologia.sld.cu/index.php/est/article/view/2475
Elyassi, M., Babaeekhou, L., & Ghane, M. (2022). Streptococcus mutans and Streptococcus sobrinus contributions in dental caries in Iranian and Afghan children: A report from serotype distribution and novel STs. Archives of Oral Biology, 139, pp. 105431. doi.org/10.1016/j.archoralbio.2022.105431 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.archoralbio.2022.105431
García-Cortés, J. O., Mejía-Cruz, J. A., Medina-Cerda, E., Orozco-De la Torre, G., Medina-Solís, C. E., Márquez-Rodríguez, S. … Islas-Granillo, H. (2014). Experiencia, prevalencia, severidad, necesidades de tratamiento para caries dental e índice de cuidados en adolescentes y adultos jóvenes mexicanos [Experience, prevalence, severity, treatment needs for dental caries and oral hygiene index in Mexican adolescents and young adults]. Revista de Investigación Clínica, 66(6), pp. 505–511. Retrieved from https://www.medigraphic.com/cgi-bin/new/resumen.cgi?IDARTICULO=57287
García-Silva, R., Hernández-Doño, S., Román-Amparo, J., Trujillo-Vizuet, G., Mena-Vela, B., Rizo-Pinto, A. … Sepúlveda-Delgado, J. (2021). Mayan alleles of the HLA-DRB1 major histocompatibility complex might contribute to the genetic susceptibility to systemic lupus erythematosus in Mexican patients from Tapachula, Chiapas. Clinical Rheumatology, 40(8), pp. 3095-3103. doi:10.1007/s10067-021-05636-4. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10067-021-05636-4
Gobierno de la República de México. (2018). Catálogo universal de servicios de salud de México 2018 [Online]. Retrieved from https://www.gob.mx/cms/uploads/attachment/file/848162/RESULTADOSDELSIVEPAB2021.pdf
Gómez-García, A. P., López-Vidal, Y., Pinto-Cardoso, S., & Aguirre-García, M. M. (2022). Overexpression of proinflammatory cytokines in dental pulp tissue and distinct bacterial microbiota in carious teeth of Mexican Individuals. Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology, 12, pp. 958722. doi.org/10.3389/fcimb.2022.958722 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fcimb.2022.958722
INEGI. (2020). Panorama sociodemográfico de Campeche. Censo de Población y Vivienda 2020. Retrieved from https://www.inegi.org.mx/contenidos/productos/prod_serv/contenidos/espanol/bvinegi/productos/nueva_estruc/702825197759.pdf
Hernández-Doño, S., Sánchez-González, R. A., Trujillo-Vizuet, M. G., Zamudio-Castellanos, Y. F., García Silva, R., Bulos-Rodríguez, P. … Sepúlveda-Delgado, J. (2022). Protective HLA alleles against severe COVID-19: HLA-A*68 as an ancestral protection allele in Tapachula-Chiapas, Mexico. Clinical Immunology, 238:108990. doi:10.1016/j.clim.2022.108990 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clim.2022.108990
Kawamura, M., Spadafora, A., Kim, K. J., & Komabayashi, T. (2002). Comparison of United States and Korean dental hygiene students using the Hiroshima university-dental behavioural inventory (HU-DBI). International Dental Journal, 52(3), pp. 156-162. doi.org/10.1111/j.1875-595x.2002.tb00621.x DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1875-595X.2002.tb00621.x
Lara-Capi, C., Cagetti, M. G., Cocco, F., Lingström, P., García-Godoy, F., & Campus, G. (2018). Effect of body weight and behavioural factors on caries severity in Mexican rural and urban adolescents. International Dental Journal, 68(3), pp. 190-196. doi.org/10.1111/idj.12351 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/idj.12351
Loesche, W. J. (1986). Role of Streptococcus mutans in human dental decay. Microbiological Reviews, 50(4), pp. 353-380. doi.org/10.1128/mr.50.4.353-380.1986 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1128/mr.50.4.353-380.1986
Marsh, P. D. (2018). In sickness and in health-what does the oral microbiome mean to us? An ecological perspective. Advances in Dental Research, 29(1), pp. 60-65. doi.org/10.1177/0022034517735295 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0022034517735295
Mattos-Graner, R. O., Klein, M. I., & Smith, D. J. (2014). Lessons learned from clinical studies: Roles of Mutans Streptococci in the pathogenesis of dental caries. Current Oral Health Reports, 1(1), pp. 70-78. doi.org/10.1007/s40496-013-0008-1 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40496-013-0008-1
Méndez, S., Román-Montero, J., De Miguel, A., Rojo, R., López, A. (2022). Effect of the 2008 economic crisis on oral health in Spain: analysis of serial cross-sectional, population-based health surveys. BMJ Open, 12(12), pp. e061947. doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2022-061947 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2022-061947
Momeni, S. S., Ghazal, T., Grenett, H., Whiddon, J., Moser, S. A., & Childers, N. K. (2019). Streptococcus mutans serotypes and collagen-binding proteins Cnm/Cbm in children with caries analysed by PCR. Molecular Oral Microbiology, 34(2), pp. 64-73. doi.org/10.1111/omi.12254 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/omi.12254
Moreno-Estrada, A., Gignoux, C., Fernández-López, J., Zakharia, F., Sikora, M., Contreras, A., … Bustamante, C. (2014). The genetics of Mexico recapitulates native American substructure and affects biomedical traits. Science, 12; 344(6189), pp. 1280–1285. doi:10.1126/science.1251688 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1251688
Nakano, K., & Ooshima, T. (2009). Serotype classification of Streptococcus mutans and its detection outside the oral cavity. Future Microbiology, 4(7), pp. 891-902. doi.org/10.2217/fmb.09.64 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2217/fmb.09.64
Praveen, T., Kotrashetti, V. S., Nayak, R. S., Naik, S. S., Bhat, K., & Kugaji, M. S. (2024). Polymerase chain reaction-based identification of various serotypes of Streptococcus mutans in adults with and without dental caries. Journal of Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics, 27(3), pp. 315-320. doi.org/10.4103/jcde.jcde_312_23 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4103/JCDE.JCDE_312_23
Rincón-Rodríguez, R. J., Parada-Sanchez, M. T., Bedoya-Correa, C. M., & Arboleda-Toro, D. (2019). Genetic diversity of Streptococcus mutans serotype c isolated from white spot and cavitated caries lesions from schoolchildren. Archives of Oral Biology, 100, pp. 33-41. doi.org/10.1016/j.archoralbio.2019.02.003 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.archoralbio.2019.02.003
Rosero, N. S., Prado, R. S., Guirao, A. A., & Santos, Y. (2020). Molecular and serological typing of Streptococcus mutans strains isolated from young Galician population: relationship with the oral health status. International Microbiology, 23(4), pp. 589-596. doi.org/10.1007/s10123-020-00132-2 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10123-020-00132-2
Ruffo, F., Toledo, L., Machado, T. (2022). Social economic disadvantage and untreated dental caries: Findings from a cohort study in adolescents. Caries Research, 56(3), pp. 179-186. doi:10.1159/000525238 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1159/000525238
Shibata, Y., Ozaki, K., Seki, M., Kawato, T., Tanaka, H., Nakano, Y., & Yamashita, Y. (2003). Analysis of loci required for determination of serotype antigenicity in Streptococcus mutans and its clinical utilization. Journal of Clinical Microbiology, 41(9), pp. 4107-4112. doi.org/10.1128/jcm.41.9.4107-4112.2003 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1128/JCM.41.9.4107-4112.2003
von Elm, E., Altman, D. G., Egger, M., Pocock, S. J., Gøtzsche, P. C., & Vandenbroucke, J. P. (2007). The strengthening the reporting of observational studies in epidemiology (STROBE) statement: guidelines for reporting observational studies. Annals of Internal Medicine, 147(8), pp. 573-577. doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-147-8-200710160-00010 DOI: https://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-147-8-200710160-00010
Yoshida, A., Suzuki, N., Nakano, Y., Kawada, M., Oho, T., & Koga, T. (2003). Development of a 5' nuclease-based real-time PCR assay for quantitative detection of cariogenic dental pathogens Streptococcus mutans and Streptococcus sobrinus. Journal of Clinical Microbiology, 41(9), pp. 4438-4441. doi.org/10.1128/jcm.41.9.4438-4441.2003 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1128/JCM.41.9.4438-4441.2003
Zeng, Y., Youssef, M., Wang, L., Alkhars, N., Thomas, M., Cacciato, R., …. Xiao, J. (2020). Identification of Non-Streptococcus mutans Bacteria from Predent Infant Saliva Grown on Mitis-Salivarius-Bacitracin Agar. Journal of Clinical Pediatric Dentistry, 44(1), pp. 28-34. doi.org/10.17796/1053-4625-44.1.5 DOI: https://doi.org/10.17796/1053-4625-44.1.5
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Victor Monteon, Floribeth Leon-Perez, Sofia Velázquez-Estrella, José Chin-Chan
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
I declare/we declare that the text submitted here is original, of my own authorship and does not infringe any type of third party rights. The content is my/our sole responsibility. Possible research involving animals and/or human beings is in accordance with Resolution 196/96 of the National Health Council and its complements. I declare that I am/we are in possession of the written consent of patients and that the research and its procedures were timely and adequately approved by the Ethics Committee of the institution of origin. We further declare that all institutional affiliations and all sources of financial support for the work are duly informed. I certify that there is no commercial or associative interest that represents a conflict of interest related to the submitted work. If there is commercial interest, in addition to the technical and academic ones, in the publication of the article, the information will be reported during the text.
