Molecular detection of bacteria associated to caries activity in dentinal lesions

Objectives This study aimed at identifying and quantifying Actinomyces naeslundii , Bifidobacterium spp., Streptococcus mitis group, Lactobacillus acidophilus , Lactobacillus casei group, Streptococcus gordonii , and Streptococcus mutans in active and inactive carious dentine lesions of children with early childhood caries by using quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Material and methods Fifty-six dentin lesion samples, classified as active ( n = 39) or inactive ( n = 17), were collected from children aged from 2 to 5 years old. Dentinal-cavitated lesions were evaluated by Nyvad criteria for the assessment of caries lesion activity. Results Relative quantification revealed that Bifidobacterium spp. and the L. casei group were significantly more abundant in active dentin lesions ( p