Prevention of Mother-to-child Transmission of Streptococcus mutans

Objective: Transmission of S. mutans, a major dental caries pathogen, occurs mainly during the first 2.5 years of age. Children appear to acquire S. mutans mostly from their mothers, but few studies have investigated preventive effect of xylitol to S. mutans transmission from mother to child. The aim of this study was to perform a follow-up evaluation the preventive effect of xylitol chewing gum of the S. mutans of children's oral cavities, which included the characteristics of vertical transmission from mother to child. Methods: The mothers voluntarily participating in a women's oral health prevention program were divided into two groups (a control and a xylitol group). The subjects were 20 mother-child pairs, who were monitored for 30 months. Xylitol chewing gum group had consumed 2 gum pellets, 3 times a day for 24 months, and then they were followed until 30 months. At baseline, 24 and 30 months whole stimulated saliva samples were collected from the mothers. Children were also recruited from 6 months to 30 months after birth and were collected their dental plaque samples. After isolation and identification, the analysis of the colony count, transmission electron microscopy and real-time RT-PCR were performed to analyze the characteristics of S. mutans. Results: The S. mutans counts decreased steadily in the xylitol group at 24 months, but increased at 30 months. The similar results were showed at their children. While the glucan synthesis was decreased at xylitol group both mother and child. The expression of gtfB, gtfD and ftf were significantly reduced in the xylitol group both mother and child (p<0.05). Conclusions: These findings indicate that chewing xylitol gum over a long period may decrease the expression of the genes associated virulence and reduced the glucan synthesis of S. mutans, which can result the preventing the mother-to-child transmission of S. mutans.

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