1. Mothers are the main source of passing Streptococci mutans, the bacteria responsible for causing caries, to their offspring. This is a transmissible disease.
How Are Mutans Streptococci Transferred?
Mothers with high rates of caries pass their high oral bacterial load and dietary habits on to their babies early in life, often by 6 months of age.
• It is thought that transfer occurs via saliva contact such as tasting or pre-chewing food, licking spoons.
• The higher the level of maternal bacteria, the more likely the child is to acquire the bacteria. So mothers who address their hygiene are less likely to pass on the caries causing bacteria.
• If this colonization is delayed until after 2 years of age, then caries scores at age 4 years decreases. Hence, getting dental care during pregnancy is an important risk modification strategy.
• Caregivers with high bacteria levels also usually have bad habits that contribute to caries and often pass these habits on as well:
o A high frequency of sugar intake
o Poor oral hygiene
o High levels of decay
• Fathers can theoretically pass on the bacteria, but studies of mom-dad-baby triads show that the bacteria more often come from mom.
References
US Department of Health and Human Services. Oral health in America. A Report of the Surgeon General. Rockville, MD: US Department of Health and Human Services, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, National Institutes of Health; 2000.
Ramos-Gomez FJ, Weintraub JA, Ganskyet SA, et al. Bacterial, behavioral and environmental factors associated with early childhood caries. Journal of Clinical Pediatric Dentistry. 2002; 26(2):
Douglass JM, LI Y, Tinanoff N. Systematic review of the association between mutans streptococci in primary caregivers and mutans streptococci and dental caries in their children. Pediatric Dentistry 2008, 30(5):