Proportion of Streptococcus mutans, Streptococcus sanguinis, and Candida albicans in Early Childhood Caries: Evaluation by qPCR

Early childhood caries (ECC) is one of the most common diseases in children. It is associated with oral microbiome dysbiosis, characterized by a reduced beneficial oral microbiome and an increased pathogenic oral microbiome.

This study aims to detect and quantify S. mutans, S. sanguinis, and C. albicans in dental plaque samples from caries-free and ECC groups of children using the quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR).

Supragingival plaque samples were collected from 30 children aged 2 to 5 divided into three groups: 15 caries-free children, 7 ECC, and 8 S-ECC. The abundance of microorganisms was determined by qPCR. The obtained data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA (post hoc Bonferroni) and the Pearson and Spearman correlation tests.

The S-ECC group had a higher proportion of S. mutans and C. albicans. The proportion of S. sanguinis was higher in the ECC and had a positive correlation (P < 0.05) with S. mutans in this same group.

The proportion of S. mutans, S. sanguinis, and C. albicans differed between the caries-free, ECC, and S-ECC groups, and they correlated with each other in the occurrence of ECC.