Table 2. Mean counts of mutans streptococci in the experimental groups during the study.
| Groups | Mean mutans streptococci counts x105 ± Standard deviations x105 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baseline1 | before RT | after RT | 30 d after RT | 6 months after RT | ||
| Group I | ||||||
| Culture2 | 8.7 ± 4.6 | 1.9 ± 3.7 | 2.3 ± 1.8 | 2.0 ± 0.56 | 7.5 ± 3.1 | |
| Real-time PCR3 | 11.4 ± 5.4 | 2.1 ± 4.8 | 2.9 ± 1.9 | 2.6 ± 0.7 | 9.2 ± 3.1 | |
| Group II | ||||||
| Culture | 16 ± 4.9 | 4.4 ± 3.7 | 5.7 ± 1.8 | 5.2 ± 2.9 | 9.8 ± 5.1 | |
| Real-time PCR | 23 ± 12.5 | 5.1 ± 4.7 | 7.0 ± 5.6 | 7.9 ± 6.3 | 14 ± 11.3 | |
| Group III | ||||||
| Culture | 21 ± 9.2 | 12 ± 3.7 | 5.4 ± 5.1 | 15.8 ± 6.2 | 16.2 ± 3.8 | |
| Real-time PCR | 37 ± 12 | 9 ± 8.3 | 6.7 ± 4.9 | 15.0 ± 3.1 | 18.8 ± 7.1 | |
| Group IV | ||||||
| Culture | —4 | 8.5 ± 4.8 | 18.7 ± 9.6 | 81 ± 41 | 77 ± 22.4 | |
| Real-time PCR | — | 7.8 ± 5.2 | 15.3 ± 13.4 | 123 ± 45.2 | 83 ± 24.5 | |
1
Immediately before dental treatment.
2
CFU/mL.
3
DNA copies/mL. Total S. mutans + S. sobrinus.
4
Group IV: patients did not receive initial dental treatment.