Caries prevention during pregnancy: results of a 30-month study.

The purpose of this 30-month study was to explore the effectiveness of a caries-preventive regimen in lowering the salivary mutans streptococci level in pregnant women and, subsequently, in inhibiting the growth of these bacteria in their young children. Beginning at the end of the sixth month of pregnancy and continuing until delivery, subjects rinsed daily with 0.05 percent sodium fluoride and 0.12 percent chlorhexidine. The authors monitored the salivary mutans streptococci levels during the last six months of pregnancy and every six months thereafter for 24 months. They also measured bacterial levels in the children every six months until they reached age 24 months. The results show that treatment significantly reduced salivary mutans streptococci levels in mothers and delayed the colonization of bacteria in their children for about four months.