Streptococcus mutans were detected in the feces from 10 of 29 caries-active patients, aged 4 to 9 years. The percentage of S. mutans to the total counts of facultatively anaerobic streptococci on mitis salivarius agar (Difco Laboratories) varied from 0 to 72.5%. S. mutans were then isolated from dental plaque of sound teeth and carious dentin of the 10 subjects known to harbor S. mutans in the ...

This study compared the capacity of casein phosphopeptide-amorphous calcium phosphate (CPP-ACP) to that of a combination of lysozyme, lactoferrin, and lactoperoxidase (LLL) in root canal disinfectant for reducing the Streptococcus mutans counts from dentinal caries. Forty human permanent third molars were selected, and flat dentin surfaces were created. Carious lesions were induced using a micr...

The aim of this ex vivo study was to compare visual clinical and radiographic examinations to the histological analysis for proximal caries diagnosis in extracted permanent molars and premolars. The relationship between clinical aspects and carious lesions was also evaluated. Eighty-eight proximal surfaces (44 freshly extracted teeth) were longitudinally sectioned with a 370-microm diamond disk...

Studies show that human permanent teeth with carious pulpal exposures can result in a high clinical success rate when treated with pulpotomy and direct pulp capping with mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA pulpotomy). In this case report, a 19-year-old female patient with a second premolar with irreversible pulpitis and symptomatic apical periodontitis was treated with MTA pulpotomy. Follow-up elec...

Objective: to obtain a histological comparison of tertiary dentin after indirect pulp capping procedures using calcium hydroxide or MTA in teeth with deep carious lesions, regarding its morphological characteristics and degree of inflammation induced in the dental pulp. We used 60 third molars with occlusal caries lesions from 30 patients of 17-26 years of age. Class I and II deep cavities were...