Pre and post-partum MS control in mother
Cavitation eradication and ms control in mothers while pregnant, and from the time the baby is 6-30 months old, is crucial. This is the tooth eruption period and the child is most receptive to ms transmission from the mother at this time. Children are also at risk to transmission, but to a lesser degree, between 6-12 years of age.
Treatment of mother will limit transmission of ms to the child.
It is important to control ms levels in the mother. This should be a standard part of prenatal and postnatal care. Obstetricians should be made aware of this.
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Straetemans ME, et.Colonization with MS and Lactobacilli and the caries experience of children after the age of 5. J.Dent Res. 77:1851-1855, 1998.
It has been suggested that there is a window of infectivity for MS at an early age after which colonization is not likely to occur. Children with low or non-detectable levels of MS at an age are at lower risk for caries. This study indicated that the acquisition of MS is still possible after the window of infectivty has closed and that a delayed acquisition of MS reduces caries experience in both primary and permanent teeth.
Brambilla, E, et. al, Caries Prevention during Pregnancy: results of a 30 month study. JADA,871-877, v 129, July1998.
MS only found in infants after tooth eruption. The source of these bacteria appears be mothers saliva. Data indicate that mothers with high ms tend to have children that are highly infected, while low infected mothers have children with low ms. counts. Children with mothers highly infected are at greater risk of being infected at a young age and adding many lesions. Evidence is available that control of ms. in the mother delays infection into the child. Treatment consisting of fluoride, chlorhexidine, diet counseling, sealants, restoration of carious lesions, oral hygiene instructions, prophys. In this study effectiveness of caries prevention in lowering the ms levels in pregnant women with the subsequent inhibition of ms growth in the child. At the end of the sixth month of pregnancy, and continuing until delivery, subjects rinse they with .05 percent sodium fluoride and .12 percent chlorhexidine. MS levels were monitored in saliva for last six months of pregnancy and every six months thereafter for.24 months. The treatment significantly reduced ms levels in mothers and delayed colonization in their children for about 4 months.