Estimation of Streptococcus Mutans Count in Saliva of Pregnant Women- A Case-Control Study

Pregnancy is a physiological process associated with many functional and biochemical alterations in almost all systems of the body. The hormonal changes during pregnancy increase a woman's susceptibility to oral infections. Cariogenic flora, in particular Streptococcus mutans count is found to be increased during pregnancy. Hence, the present study was carried out to estimate the Streptococcus mutans in saliva of pregnant women and non-pregnant women. The results of the study could be further used to educate the pregnant women about the importance of oral hygiene during pregnancy.

The study group comprised of 30 pregnant women and 30 non-pregnant women. Unstimulated whole saliva was collected to determine S. mutans colony count. The Student ‘t’ test and Mann Whitney ‘U’ test was used to determine whether there was a statistical difference between pregnant and non-pregnant women in the parameters measured.

The mean Streptococcus mutans colony count was increased in saliva of pregnant women compared to that of the non-pregnant women. The mean Streptococcus mutans colony count between different trimesters in pregnant women showed that the third trimester of pregnancy had a higher mean compared to the first and second trimester but difference was not statistically significant.

The results of our study provide a baseline data regarding the changes in the Streptococcus mutans colony count during pregnancy. This could be used to emphasize the need for preventive dental care during pregnancy.