Roles of - interaction in early childhood caries: a literature review.

As one of the most common oral diseases in kids, early childhood caries affects the health of children throughout the world. Clinical investigations show the copresence of and in ECC lesions, and mechanistic studies reveal co-existence of and affects both of their cariogenicity. Clearly a comprehensive understanding of the interkingdom interaction between these two microorganisms has important implications for ECC treatment and prevention. To this end, this review summarizes advances in our understanding of the virulence of both and . More importantly, the synergistic and antagonistic interactions between these two microbes are discussed.