Quantity of the antigens of Streptococcus mutans serotype e and Candida albicans and its correlation with the salivary flow rate in early childhood caries

Endang Winiati Bachtiar; Vanya A Kusuma; Ferry P Gultom; Retno D Soejoedono

doi:10.4103/jrms.JRMS_767_20

Quantity of the antigens of Streptococcus mutans serotype e and Candida albicans and its correlation with the salivary flow rate in early childhood caries

J Res Med Sci. 2022 Jun 30:27:47. doi: 10.4103/jrms.JRMS_767_20. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Endang Winiati Bachtiar¹, Vanya A Kusuma¹, Ferry P Gultom¹, Retno D Soejoedono²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Oral Biology, Oral Science Research Center, Faculty of Dentistry, Universitas Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia.
² Department of Immunology, Faculty of Veterinary, IPB University, Dramaga Campus, Bogor, Indonesia.

Abstract

Background: Streptococcus mutans involved in caries pathogenesis is classified into four serotypes, namely serotypes c, e, f, and k. Candida albicans can be found in the plaque of children with early childhood caries (ECC). Aims: The aim of this study was to analyze the quantity of the antigens of S. mutans serotype e and C. albicans and its correlation with the salivary flow rate in ECC.

Materials and methods: The antigen quantities of caries plaque samples and caries-free were determined using an enzyme-linked immunoassay with 450-nm optical density.

Results: There was a significant difference between the quantity of S. mutans serotype e and C. albicans antigens in each salivary flow rate category (P < 0.05). The relationship between the antigen quantity of S. mutans serotype e and C. albicans was r = 0.624 (P > 0.05) for caries plaque samples and r = 0.628 (P > 0.05) for caries-free samples.

Conclusion: the antigen quantities of S. mutans serotype e and C. albicans and the salivary flow rate might correlate to the pathogenesis of ECC.

Keywords: dental plaque; Candida albicans; Streptococcus mutans; early childhood caries; flow rate; saliva; serotype.