Frequency of Mutacin Gene Types in Streptococcus mutans Isolated From Oral Potentially Malignant Disorder (OPMD) Patients.

Objectives Mutacins are potent virulent factors attributing to the virulence in leading to oro-dental diseases, and oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMDs) are considered a premalignant condition of the oro-mucosal layers in the oral cavity. The purpose of this study was to phenotypically characterize from the clinical samples of patients with OPMD and to assess the frequency of mutacin genes in comparison with healthy individuals. Methods Saliva samples (n=60) were collected from three different groups and the samples were incubated at 37°C for 48 hours in Mutans-Sanguis agar. After incubation, the isolates were identified phenotypically for and the frequency of mutacin genes and its types were assessed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Results was found to be more prevalent in the OPMD cases (45%) followed by healthy individuals with caries (15%). Mutacin genes were expressed in all the groups except Group 3 (healthy individuals) without caries. Mutacin I was expressed the highest in Group 1 and Group 2 with 88% and 62.5, respectively, and mutacin III was expressed the least in all groups with 0% expression. Conclusion The findings of the study show the presence of mutacin gene types in the clinical strains of in association with OPMD and caries. Further experimental evidence may be required to assess the frequency and to design a novel drug targeting the same.