Abstract
BackgroundTo compare the oral microflora in preschool children attending a fluoride varnish program with a reference group receiving a standard oral health program without fluoride varnish applications. A second aim was to relate the microbial composition to the caries prevalence.MethodsFive hundred seven 3-year-old children were enrolled from a cohort of 3403 preschool children taking part in a community based oral health project. Two hundred sixty-three of them had attended caries-preventive program with semi-annual applications of a fluoride varnish since the age of 1 year (test group) while 237 had received standard preventive care (reference group). Oral samples were collected with a sterile swab and analysed with checkerboard DNA-DNA hybridization using 12 pre-determined bacterial probes. Caries and background data were collected from clinical examinations and questionnaires.ResultsGram-positive streptococci (S. intermedius, S. salivarius, S. oralis) were most frequently detected and displayed the highest counts in both groups. There were no significant differences between the groups concerning prevalence of any of the selected bacterial strains except for S. oralis that occurred less frequently in the reference group. In children with caries, V. parvula were significantly more common (p < 0.05) while strains of Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium and Neisseria were more prevalent among the caries-free children (p < 0.05).ConclusionsA 2-year community program with semi-annual fluoride varnish applications did not seem to significantly influence the oral microflora in preschool children.Trial registration www.controlled-trials.com (ISRCTN35086887) 20131216 ‘retrospectively registered’.
Highlights
To compare the oral microflora in preschool children attending a fluoride varnish program with a reference group receiving a standard oral health program without fluoride varnish applications
Anderson et al BMC Oral Health (2016) 16:130 weeks. Since it is not fully clear whether or not this sustained fluoride release has an influence on the bacterial composition of biofilm, it was thought of interest to apply this research question in a current community oral health project [10]
The primary aim of the present study was to compare the oral microflora in preschool children participating in an extended preventive program with semi-annual fluoride varnish applications with children receiving a standard program with no varnish applications
Summary
To compare the oral microflora in preschool children attending a fluoride varnish program with a reference group receiving a standard oral health program without fluoride varnish applications. Childhood caries (ECC) is a public health problem associated with impaired oral health-related quality of life and high costs for families as well as for society. Anderson et al BMC Oral Health (2016) 16:130 weeks Since it is not fully clear whether or not this sustained fluoride release has an influence on the bacterial composition of biofilm, it was thought of interest to apply this research question in a current community oral health project [10]. The primary aim of the present study was to compare the oral microflora in preschool children participating in an extended preventive program with semi-annual fluoride varnish applications with children receiving a standard program with no varnish applications. A secondary aim was to investigate the microbial composition in children who had developed early childhood caries at the age of 3 years versus those that remained caries free
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