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Composition of the oral streptococcal flora in healthy children
V S Lucas1, D Beighton, G J Roberts
1Department of Oral Medicine, Eastman Dental Institute, University of London, UK. v.lucas@eastman.ucl.ac.uk
Insights
The predominant oral streptococcal species in healthy children are Streptococcus salivarius, S. oralis, and S. mitis. Their oral flora composition remained stable over a 4-month period, indicating reliability in sampling methods.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Oral Health
- Pediatric Health
Background:
- Streptococcus species are key components of the human oral microbiome.
- Understanding the composition of oral streptococcal flora in healthy children is crucial for baseline health assessments.
- This study focuses on identifying dominant streptococcal species in children as controls for broader health studies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify the main streptococcal species present in the oral cavities of healthy children.
- To analyze the stability of the oral streptococcal flora composition over a 4-month interval.
- To evaluate the efficacy of the oral rinse technique for sampling pediatric oral flora.
Main Methods:
- The study involved 33 healthy schoolchildren aged 5–16 years.
- Oral rinses were collected from participants twice, with a 4-month interval between samples.
- Quantification of streptococcal species, isolation frequency, and proportional counts relative to total streptococcal and anaerobic counts were assessed.
Main Results:
- Streptococcus salivarius, Streptococcus oralis, and Streptococcus mitis were identified as the predominant species.
- No significant changes in the oral streptococcal flora composition were observed over the 4-month study period.
- The oral rinse method proved effective for sampling and analyzing oral streptococcal populations.
Conclusions:
- The oral rinse technique is a reliable and effective method for sampling the streptococcal flora in children.
- The identified predominant species (S. salivarius, S. oralis, S. mitis) represent the typical oral streptococcal microbiome in healthy children.
- The stability of the oral streptococcal flora over 4 months suggests a consistent oral microbial environment in this demographic.
Objectives:
To identify the predominant streptococcal species in the mouths of healthy children and to investigate the composition of the oral streptococcal flora over a period of 4 months.
Patients And Methods:
The subjects were 33 fit, healthy schoolchildren aged between 5 and 16 years. These children were part of a large study and were the matched controls for a group of subjects undergoing bone marrow transplantation. The oral flora was sampled using an oral rinse technique on two separate occasions 4 months apart. The outcome measures were the number of each streptococcal species per millilitre of oral rinse; the isolation frequency of each species; the proportion of each species as a percentage of both the total streptococcal count and the total anaerobic count.
Results:
The predominant species were Streptococcus salivarius, S. oralis and S. mitis. There was no significant variation in the composition of the oral streptococcal flora over the 4 month period.
Conclusions:
The oral rinse technique provides a reliable method of sampling the streptococcal flora of children.