The effectiveness of two antibacterial regimens on salivary Mutans Streptococci and Lactobacilli in children

This study aimed to evaluate the long-term effect of the topical use of an iodine agent on the salivary mutans streptococci (MS) and lactobacilli (LB) and compare it with the professionally applied topi-cal fluoride. The study included 54 children with high caries activity. Children received one application of topical fluoride gel (APF) then they were divided into two groups. In group I, twenty seven patients received topical application of fluoride gel weekly for 4 weeks followed by one application of fluoride gel every 3 months for one year. For group II, 10% povidone iodine was carried out weekly for 4 weeks for 27 patients followed by alternative applications of fluoride gel or povidone iodine every 3 months for one year. Bacteriological evaluation was done at base line, after 1, 3, 6 and 12 months. Saliva sam-ples were grown on selective culture media. The differences between the two groups were evaluated at the end of the study. Drop out of patients was reported throughout the different evaluation periods. The results were evaluated statistically and showed no statistical significant difference between the two groups. It is concluded that iodine solution reduced the number of caries related microorganisms as compared to the base line. Antimicrobial approaches need more studies to confirm the findings and optimize the regimens.

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