CARIES PREVALENCE AND SALIVARY AND MICROBIAL CONDITIONS IN 88-YEAR-OLD SWEDISH DENTATE PEOPLE

As part of a comprehensive investigation of 88-year-old people, caries prevalence, stimulated salivary secretion rate, buffer capacity, and the prevalence of lactobacilli and mutans streptococci were studied in a subsample of 92 dentate subjects. The mean number of remaining teet h was 14.1 +/- 7.3. The DMFT was 25.2 +/- 3.0, and DF surfaces 38.3 +/ - 22.7. Root caries experience was found in 85% of the subjects, with a mean root caries index of 36.6 +/- 28.5%. The men had significantly higher mean values of salivary secretion rate (2.0 +/- 1.3 ml/min) tha n the women (1.1 +/- 0.6 ml/min) (P < 0.001). The mean final pH of buf fer capacity was 6.3 +/- 1.3. High counts of lactobacilli (>10(5) and mutans streptococci (>10(6) were found in 49% and 55% of the subjects, respectively, of whom most were denture wearers. The mean number of t otal mutans streptococci was higher in persons harboring both Streptoc occus mutans and S. sobrinus than in subjects with only S. mutans.