Caries prevalence and severity in the primary dentition and Streptococcus mutans levels in the saliva of preschoolchildren in South Africa.

The caries prevalence (dmft) and severity (css) in 3-, 4-, and 5-yr-old children in South Africa were examined. Four levels of S. mutans in the saliva of 228 of these children was estimated by the spatula method. In all three age groups a statistically higher dmft and css was found with a S. mutans level of greater than 10(6) CFU/ml in saliva than at lower concentrations. At age 5 ANOVA showed significant differences between dmft and css at all S. mutans levels. A high concentration of S. mutans in the saliva may be an indicator of the high risk child at an early age.