Abstract
BackgroundChronic nail biting is common in children and young adults. Auto inoculation of environmental pathogens can manifest as infection in distant organs. Multi-drug resistance gram negative bacteria are on the rise globally. Several of the foodborne bacteria fall within the Enterobacteriaceae family but very few studies have explored these microbes in the oral cavity of children with chronic nail-biting habit or orthodontic treatment. The study aims to investigate oral load of Enterobacteriaceae in children with chronic nail-biting habit and or those undergoing orthodontic treatment.Material and Methods150 children (no nail-biting n=30, nail biting n=60, fixed orthodontic treatment n =30 and a combination of fixed orthodontic appliance use and nail-biting habit n =30) were assessed for culture based microbiological investigation. The concentrated oral rinse technique was used. The rinse was inoculated in MacConkey’s and Blood Agar. The gram stained culture was subjected to biochemical tests for sub-species identification using Biomerieux Vitek 2 Compact Automated Microbiological Analyzer. Fisher’s exact and Kruskal Wallis with post hoc analysis using Dunn method was performed to test association and difference between groups.ResultsEnterobacteriaceae was positive for 72% of the children. Of them, nail biting or orthodontic treatment group comprised 89%. Those with a combination of nail biting and undergoing orthodontic treatment exhibited highest CFU/ml and those without nail biting or orthodontic treatment exhibited the lowest. Three of the four organisms isolated tested positive in the orthodontic treatment group. E. coli was positive in 38% of the children while Klebsiella and E. cloacae were isolated exclusively in the orthodontic treatment group.ConclusionsChronic nail biting or the use of fixed orthodontic appliances is associated with higher incidence of Enterobacteriaceae in the oral cavity. Oral health professionals play an important role in preventing multi drug resistance infectious diseases. Key words:Enterobacteriaceae, nail-biting, Onychophagia, orthodontic treatment.
Highlights
Onychophagia or nail biting is an oral compulsive behavioural disorder common in children and young adults
Some potentially pathogenic intestinal microorganisms of the Enterobacteriaceae family like Escherichia Coli (E. coli) and Enterobacter have been noted in the oral cavity of nail biters [14,15]
This study aims to investigate oral load of Enterobacteriaceae in children with chronic nail-biting habit and or those undergoing orthodontic treatment compared to those with no nail biting or no orthodontic treatment
Summary
Onychophagia or nail biting is an oral compulsive behavioural disorder common in children and young adults. Repetitive habitual nail biting compounded with less than optimal oral hygiene in children’s receiving orthodontic treatment can carry the microbial loads to distant organs like the lungs, intestine and present as systemic manifestation altering the balance between health and disease [18,19,20]. The test hypothesis is that chronic nail-biting habit or orthodontic treatment in isolation or in combination does not increase oral Enterobacteriaceae count. Several of the foodborne bacteria fall within the Enterobacteriaceae family but very few studies have explored these microbes in the oral cavity of children with chronic nail-biting habit or orthodontic treatment. The study aims to investigate oral load of Enterobacteriaceae in children with chronic nail-biting habit and or those undergoing orthodontic treatment. Oral health professionals play an important role in preventing multi drug resistance infectious diseases
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
