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Biomedical subjects

L Grönroos

Publications and source records attributed to L Grönroos.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

Effects of a chlorhexidine-fluoride-strontium rinsing program on caries, gingivitis and some salivary bacteria among Finnish schoolchildren.

In order to find out if it is possible to prevent caries and gingivitis by periodical use of chlorhexidine-fluoride mouthrinses with or without strontium, and to find out what effects they have on salivary mutans streptococci and lactobacilli counts, a total of 243 schoolchildren aged 11 yr with high DMFS scores were randomly divided into four groups. One group (C) served as a basic control. Subjects in the second group (CXF) rinsed their mouths twice a day every third week with a rinsing solution containing 0.05% chlorhexidine gluconate and 0.04% NaF. In the third group (CXFS) the rinsing solution contained 500 ppm Sr during the first and second year and 15 ppm during the last 6 months, in addition to chlorhexidine and fluoride. In the fourth group (CX) the solution contained only 0.05% chlorhexidine gluconate. All the rinsing solutions had pH 5.8 buffered with succinic acid-NaOH buffer. After 2 yr and 9 months, the mean DMFS (SD) increments in the C, CXF, CXFS, and CX groups were 3.8 (5.7), 2.5 (3.2), 3.5 (4.8), and 3.4 (5.5), respectively. The percentage of subjects with bleeding gingival units had decreased from initial to final values as follows: C, 81-38; CXF, 88-42; CXFS, 89-56; CX, 89-37. The number of lactobacilli and mutans streptococci in saliva remained virtually unchanged throughout the study. For caries increment and gingival bleeding, the differences between groups were not statistically significant. The chlorhexidine-fluoride combination tended to prevent caries, but the effect on gingival bleeding and salivary counts of mutans streptococci and lactobacilli was negligible.

Bacteria

Salivary caries-related tests as predictors of future caries increment in teenagers. A three-year longitudinal study.

The aim of the study was to evaluate the capability of caries-related salivary tests and a test based on past caries experience (baseline DFS) to select persons at high risk for caries. The subjects (n = 122) were 12-17 years old at the beginning of the study. Caries was registered and salivary samples were taken annually during the 3-study period. The 3-year caries increment was positively correlated to the baseline DFS (r = 0.46, p less than 0.001), salivary level of mutans streptococci (r = 0.30, p less than 0.001) and lactobacilli (r = 0.30, p less than 0.001), and combined level of mutans streptococci and lactobacilli (r = 0.39, p less than 0.001) and negatively correlated to the buffering capacity of saliva (r = -0.22, p less than 0.05). Tests based on either past caries experience or mutans streptococci or lactobacilli levels alone were not efficient in selecting persons at high risk for caries. Among the tests, DFS was the most sensitive and specific. A combination of either microbial test and DFS was more efficient to select persons at risk than various alternatives alone. The sensitivity was 84% and the specificity 62% for the combination of lactobacilli test and DFS and 71% and 79% respectively for the combination of mutans streptococci and DFS. In the former combination the positive prediction value was 43% and in the latter 56%.

Adolescent

Streptococcus mutans, not detected?

The growth of Streptococcus mutans was followed for three years in 24 healthy 12-17 year-old children, who were selected for the study on the basis of undetectable levels of salivary S. mutans. The saliva samples were cultured by a dip-slide method based on mitis-salivarius agar supplemented with sucrose and bacitracin. At the final occasion, additional examination of plaque and saliva of 10 children using TSY20B agar was performed. During the 3-year study period, S. mutans was found in saliva samples from 15 children on one or more of the 4 test occasions, suggesting that most 'S. mutans negative individuals' were those in whom S. mutans could not be temporarily detected. The additional examination of plaque did not increase the number of 'S. mutans-positive individuals'.

Adolescent

Caries-related microbiological findings in a group of teenagers and their parents.

The levels of salivary Streptococcus mutans and lactobacilli and caries experience were studied in 113 teenagers and 163 adults. The study population consisted of 82 mother-child and 73 father-child pairs. The number of decayed, missing, and filled tooth surfaces (DMFS) was eightfold higher in adults than in teenagers (56.4 +/- 22.8 vs. 7.3 +/- 6.7). The percentage distribution of the level of salivary S. mutans and lactobacilli was approximately the same in both groups. The mean number of DMFS increased with increasing levels of salivary S. mutans and lactobacilli, the correlation being highly significant both in teenagers and adults. There was a significant correlation of the DMFS indices in the mother-child pairs (r = 0.364), but the correlation was not significant in the father-child pairs (r = 0.138). The salivary level of S. mutans was higher in the children of mothers with high DMFS values compared to the children of mothers with low DMFS values.

Adolescent