Table 1.

Stability of infection by S. mutans and adhesin types and their association with caries in 452 Swedish children.

Group or adhesin typea, b	DeFS-12yc				DeFS-17yc			ΔDeFS-5yd			Colonization stability, %g
	n	%	Mean ± SD	pe	n	Mean ± SD	pe	n	Mean ± SD	pe
452 children
S. mutans positivef	217	48	3.6 ± 3.0	8 × 10− 13	185	9.2 ± 8.8	4 × 10− 8	185	5.5 ± 7.1	3 × 10− 5	78
S. mutans negative	234	52	1.7 ± 2.1	Ref.	204	4.9 ± 5.7	Ref.	204	3.1 ± 4.9	Ref.
S. mutans positive
High > 250,000 cfu	49	23	3.9 ± 3.0	0.284	43	10.3 ± 9.8	0.544	43	6.4 ± 7.8	0.502
Low < 250,000 cfu	168	77	3.5 ± 3.0	Ref.	142	8.8 ± 8.5	Ref.	142	5.3 ± 6.8	Ref.
SpaP A	111	51	3.0 ± 2.8	Ref.	96	8.4 ± 8.2	Ref.	96	5.2 ± 7.1	Ref.	82
SpaP B	71	33	4.2 ± 3.5	0.034	55	11.4 ± 11.1	0.045	55	6.7 ± 8.8	0.110	88
SpaP C	19	9	3.3 ± 1.8	0.365	18	7.5 ± 4.8	0.746	18	4.3 ± 4.1	0.929	89
Cnm	26	12	4.4 ± 2.6	0.012	20	10.4 ± 8.7	0.182	20	6.0 ± 7.2	0.460	99
Cbm	7	3	2.9 ± 3.7	0.631	5	3.8 ± 2.8	0.201	5	2.4 ± 1.6	0.599	100
SpaP B+	71	25	4.2 ± 3.5	3 × 10− 6	55	11.4 ± 11.1	5 × 10− 4	55	6.7 ± 8.8	8 × 10− 4
SpaP B−	363	75	2.2 ± 2.4	Ref.	319	6.0 ± 6.5	Ref.	319	3.8 ± 5.4	Ref.

^aChildren infected with S. mutans and specific adhesin types or being negative as determined by qPCR of whole saliva; data missing from one child.

^bInfected children are either spaP A, B or C and Cnm distribute in equal portions in A-, B- or C-positive children.

^cDeFS, Decayed, enamel included, Filled Surfaces at 12 and 17 years of age.

^dΔDeFS-5y = 5 year caries increment from 12 to 17 years of age.

^eTwo-sided p-value from Mann-Whitney U test compared to a reference (Ref.).

^fCut off value of 10,000 cfu.

^gColonization stability of S. mutans and adhesin types marks the same type at both 12 and 17 years of age at an individual level.