Table 1.
Baseline registration of data
| Lingual technique | Labial technique | P value | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (n = 10) | (n = 10) | |||
| Oral hygiene | DMFT index (mean ± SD) | 2.00 ± 2.16 | 1.90 ± 2.18 | NS |
| Plaque index (mean ± SD) | 0.47 ± 0.18 | 0.42 ± 0.17 | NS | |
| Gingival bleeding index (mean ± SD) | 0.18 ± 0.13 | 0.31 ± 0.21 | NS | |
| Salivary flow rate | ml/min (mean ± SD) | 1.11 ± 0.47 | 1.06 ± 0.65 | NS |
| Buffering capacity | pH (mean ± SD) | 5.20 ± 0.79 | 5.35 ± 0.41 | NS |
| S. mutans | Low n (%) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | NS |
| Moderate n (%) | 7 (70) | 5 (50) | ||
| High n (%) | 3 (30) | 5 (50) | ||
| Lactobacillus | Low n (%) | 4 (40) | 2 (20) | NS |
| Moderate n (%) | 3 (30) | 5 (50) | ||
| High n (%) | 3 (30) | 3 (30) |
Oral hygiene, salivary markers, and distribution of patients according to various levels of S. mutans and Lactobacillus. NS, not significant (Mann-Whitney U and Fisher's exact tests).