QPCR Screening of Pediatric Saliva Samples to Evaluate Effects of Dental Sealants on Cariogenic Bacteria Streptococcus Mutans and Scardovia Wiggsiae

Abstract

Dental caries is an alarmingly prevalent multifactorial disease worldwide but is most common as a chronic disease among children and adolescents. Within the oral cavity there are hundreds bacterial species, including specific cariogenic pathogens such as Streptococcus mutans and Scardoviawiggsiae. Although dental caries are highly prevalent, it may also be preventable using methods such as dental sealants or fluoride treatment, which have proven to be highly effective in reducing caries risk – although there is limited evidence on the exact effect of these treatments on S. wiggsiaeinparticular. Due to the lack of conclusive evidence, this study is aimed to evaluate the microbial burden of S. mutans and S. wiggsiae among pediatric saliva samples to analyze the effects dental sealants have on these oral microbiota. Saliva samples derived from pediatric patients pre- and post-sealant were obtained from an existing repository. DNA was extracted and screened using qPCR and primers specific for the cariogenic organisms, S. mutans (SM) and S. wiggsiae (SW). These data demonstrated an overall reduction in SW among Post-sealant samples (11.14 U/uL) compared with Pre-sealant samples (11.68 U/uL), as well as a reduction in the overall number of samples harboring S. wiggsiae (n=8). The Pre-sealant average amount of SM (14.54 U/uL) was slightly increased among the Post-sealant samples (15.67 U/uL) with half of the samples analyzed (n=13) exhibiting slight increases in SM levels, and nearly one-third (n=8) exhibiting slight decreases in SM levels. The data from this study may suggest that dental sealants have an impact on certain cariogenic pathogens in the oral microbiota. Whether or not the impact is positive or not in light of the increase in S. mutans remains an observation that should be further analyzed. More research is required to address the limitations found in this study in order to localize the exact effect on the teeth with dental sealants.