Resumo

PIERALISE, Flávio José Sambatti et al. Detection of Streptococcus mutans of the spaP gene and dental caries in mother/child pairs. RGO, Rev. gaúch. odontol. (Online) [online]. 2013, vol.61, n.2, pp. 205-211. ISSN 1981-8637.

Objective Objective: To detect the presence and transmission of S. mutans carrier of the spaP gene in samples of bacterial plaque in mother/child pairs from municipal child education centers, and the possible association with dental caries. Methods The sample comprised 56 mother/child pairs. For the evaluation of the prevalence and severity of caries, the DMFT and dmft indices were used, following World Health Organization criteria. The oral hygiene pattern was also evaluated using the Simplified Oral Hygiene Index and O'Leary's plaque control index. Using DNA extracted from bacteria in the dental plaque of mother/child pairs, a sequence of the S. mutans spaP gene was amplified using PCR. The chi-squared test, Fisher's exact test and Pearson's correlation coefficient were applied, using a level of significance of p< 0.05. Results The mothers presented a DMFT index of 11.02 (SD=6.3) while the children exhibited a dmft index of 2.09 (SD=3.2). Approximately 40% of mother/child pairs had a good oral hygiene index. A higher percentage of children with caries had, in their dental plaque, S. mutans harboring the spaP+ gene (p=0.03). No association was detected between the presence of S. mutans spaP+ in the dental plaque of mother and child. Conclusion An association was found between experience of caries in the children and the presence of bacteria carrying the spaP+ gene. Our results did not detect vertical transmission.

Palavras-chave : Dental caries.; Polymerase chain reaction.; Streptococcus mutans.; Transmission..