EVALUATION OF MICROORGANISMS ASSOCIATED WITH DENTAL CARIES

ABSTRACT

Ten Oral swabs were obtained from healthy and diseased individuals and analysed for their bacteriological and mycological qualities using pour plate method. Microbial counts ranged from 29x 10² for sample A to 2x10² for sample J respectively. The bacterial and fungal isolates identified were Bacilllus sp, Aeromonas flavobacterium, Micrococcus sp, Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus niger, Mucor mucedo, Penicillium notatum, Yeasts and Penicillium sp. Among the isolates, Bacillus had the highest frequency of occurrence 55.5%. Although the oral cavity can support the growth of a variety of microorganisms, Dental caries can be controlled through the removal of plaque, limitation of sucrose intake and reduction of acid production in the mouth by limitation of available carbohydrate intake and frequent cleansing.