An Assessment of the Number of Cariogenic Bacteria in the Saliva of Children with Chemotherapy-Induced Neutropenia

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

Anticancer therapy entails qualitative and quantitative changes in the physiological bacterial flora of the organism, including the oral microflora.

OBJECTIVES:

The aim of the study was to assess the number of cariogenic bacteria - Streptococcus mutans and Lactobacillus spp. - in the saliva of children with chemotherapy-induced neutropenia, and the relationship between the dynamics of neutrophils in the blood and the number of cariogenic bacteria in the saliva.

MATERIAL AND METHODS:

The study included 52 children aged 3-17.5 years, diagnosed with cancer and undergoing antineoplastic treatment. The control group comprised 52 generally healthy children matched for age and gender. Both groups underwent microbiological analysis of the saliva. The Dentocult SM Strip Mutans test (Orion Diagnostica, Espoo, Finland) was used to evaluate the number of Streptococcus mutans colonies in the saliva, while the Dentocult LB test (Orion Diagnostica) was used to assess the number of Lactobacillus spp. bacteria. The statistical analysis was carried out using STATISTICA 10 software (StatSoft Inc., Tulsa, USA).

RESULTS:

The statistical analysis using Kendall's tau test showed a significant inverse correlation between the number of neutrophils in the blood and the number of the Streptococcus mutans and Lactobacillus spp. colonies in the saliva of the children undergoing anticancer therapy. The highest titres of cariogenic bacteria in the saliva were observed during severe neutropenia, which was frequently observed between day 7 and day 21 of the chemotherapy course.

CONCLUSIONS:

A significant increase in the number of cariogenic bacteria in the saliva during episodes of chemotherapy-induced neutropenia suggests that the activity of dental caries increases in children undergoing antineoplastic treatment.

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Adv Clin Exp Med. 2016 Jan-Feb;25(1):11-9. doi: 10.17219/acem/28998.