{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,12]],"date-time":"2026-01-12T11:16:38Z","timestamp":1768216598255,"version":"3.49.0"},"reference-count":33,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,12]],"date-time":"2026-01-12T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1768176000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Dent. Med."],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      The objective of this study was to assess the level of\n                      <jats:italic>Streptococcus mutans<\/jats:italic>\n                      in the saliva and plaque of infants with a high caries risk.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>A self-administered parental questionnaire was used to identify one-year-old infants with high caries risk and to collect demographic information, the parents\u2019 and infants\u2019 oral health related behaviors. Saliva and plaque samples were collected from the participating infants. The real-time polymerase chain reaction assays were used to detect the quantity of MS in infants\u2019 saliva and plaque. A clinical examination was conducted to record the caries experience and oral hygiene level of infants.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      579 high caries risk infants were recruited. The mean MS count in saliva and plaque was 0.08\u2009\u00b1\u20090.48 (\u00d710\n                      <jats:sup>7<\/jats:sup>\n                      ) CFU\/mL and 5.72\u2009\u00b1\u200991.93 (\u00d710\n                      <jats:sup>7<\/jats:sup>\n                      ) CFU, respectively. Only a few infants had high MS% (&amp;gt;0.03%) in total bacterial count in plaque (4.8%) or saliva (7.3%). The MS level in plaque was found to have a significantly positive association with the prevalence of infants with a white spot or cavitated lesion (\n                      <jats:italic>P<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u2009=\u20090.039), but not for the MS level in saliva. Infants from families with 2 or more children (\n                      <jats:italic>P<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u2009=\u20090.029) and those who had been fed 7 times or more per day (\n                      <jats:italic>P<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u2009=\u20090.020) had a higher likelihood of having a high MS level (MS%\u2009&amp;gt;\u20090.03%) in dental plaque.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>MS level in plaque and saliva was generally low among infants. The MS level in plaque showed a clearer association with the onset of dental caries than the salivary MS level in young children.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fdmed.2025.1716923","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,12]],"date-time":"2026-01-12T08:14:18Z","timestamp":1768205658000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Oral Streptococcus mutans level in high caries risk infants"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"6","author":[{"given":"Bella Weijia","family":"Luo","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Ka Fung","family":"Yu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Pei","family":"Liu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Hai Ming","family":"Wong","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Edward Chin Man","family":"Lo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"May Chun Mei","family":"Wong","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Gillian Hiu Man","family":"Lee","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,12]]},"reference":[{"key":"B1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"114","DOI":"10.1007\/BF03262622","article-title":"Case definition, aetiology and risk assessment of early childhood caries (ECC): a revisited review","volume":"9","author":"Vadiakas","year":"2008","journal-title":"Eur Arch Paediatr Dent"},{"key":"B2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"137","DOI":"10.1016\/j.phrs.2012.11.006","article-title":"The oral microbiome in health and disease","volume":"69","author":"Wade","year":"2013","journal-title":"Pharmacol Res"},{"key":"B3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"441","DOI":"10.1016\/j.cden.2010.03.002","article-title":"Microbiology of dental plaque biofilms and their role in oral health and caries","volume":"54","author":"Marsh","year":"2010","journal-title":"Dent Clin North Am"},{"key":"B4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"24","DOI":"10.1111\/omi.12152","article-title":"Advances in the microbial etiology and pathogenesis of early childhood caries","volume":"32","author":"Hajishengallis","year":"2017","journal-title":"Mol Oral Microbiol"},{"key":"B5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"102","DOI":"10.1159\/000481833","article-title":"Candida albicans and early childhood caries: a systematic review and meta-analysis","volume":"52","author":"Xiao","year":"2018","journal-title":"Caries Res"},{"key":"B6","first-page":"1E","article-title":"Horizontal transmission of Streptococcus mutans in children and its association with dental caries: a systematic review and meta-analysis","volume":"43","author":"Manchanda","year":"2021","journal-title":"Pediatr Dent"},{"key":"B7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"504","DOI":"10.1177\/154405910308200703","article-title":"A longitudinal study of Streptococcus mutans colonization in infants after tooth eruption","volume":"82","author":"Wan","year":"2003","journal-title":"J Dent Res"},{"key":"B8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"14","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1399-302x.1988.tb00598.x","article-title":"The earlier the colonization by mutans streptococci, the higher the caries prevalence at 4 years of age","volume":"3","author":"Kohler","year":"1988","journal-title":"Oral Microbiol Immunol"},{"key":"B9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"296","DOI":"10.1016\/j.chom.2015.08.005","article-title":"Prediction of early childhood caries via spatial-temporal variations of oral Microbiota","volume":"18","author":"Teng","year":"2015","journal-title":"Cell Host Microbe"},{"key":"B10","first-page":"197","article-title":"Caries-risk assessment and management for infants, children, and adolescents","volume":"39","year":"2017","journal-title":"Pediatr Dent"},{"key":"B11","volume-title":"Criteria Manual\u2013 International Caries Detection and Assessment System (ICDAS II)","year":"2009"},{"key":"B12","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"121","DOI":"10.3109\/00016356408993968","article-title":"Periodontal disease in pregnancy. 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