The Co-relation of Salivary Streptococcus Mutans’ Count between Mother and their Neonates within Two Days of Life: An Ex Vivo Microbial Study

Author(s): Susmita S Shah, Bhavna H Dave

Background: Human infants are considered germ free before birth. Immediately after birth, the infant is exposed to millions of microorganisms. During birth and shortly after the birth, epithelial lining of the mouths of neonates are colonized by different microbial species.

Objective: To Determine The Co-relation of Salivary Streptococcus Mutans’ Count Between Mother and their Neonates within Two Days of Life.

Study Design: It was an ex-vivo, microbial, double blinded, interventional, comparative study.

Participants: 42-mothers aged 22-40 years and their 42-neonates born through vaginal delivery.

Intervention: Oral screening of participant mothers was performed to record DMFT/DMFS and Periodo-ntal index. Participants were divided into two groups based on high caries status (DMFT score ≥6) and low caries status (DMFT score≤1). Samples were taken from mothers’ oral cavity, neonates mouth on day one and within 48 hours by swabbing the tip of the tongue, left vestibule at 1st molar region, buccal mucosa on left side. Mutans streptococci (MS) were cultivated on Mutans Sanguis Agar.

Outcome: After 48 hours MS count in neonates from Group A was higher than Neonates in Group B which was statistically significant (p<0.001).

Results: Mothers in group A showed more MS count than Group B which was highly significant (p< 0.001). The MS count in neonates remained zero immediately after birth irrespective of the MS count in mothers of both the Groups.

Conclusion: As evidence of bacterial transmission has been identified within two days of birth, it can be characterized as two crucial days for oral bacterial infection.