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 streptoco cci level in pregnant women and, subsequently, in inhibiting the growt h of these bacteria in their young children. Beginning at the end of t he sixth month of pregnancy and continuing until delivery, subjects ri nsed daily with 0.05 percent sodium fluoride and 0.12 percent chlorhex idine. The authors monitored the salivary mutans streptococci levels d uring the last six months of pregnancy and every six months thereafter for 24 months. They also measured bacterial levels in the children ev ery six months until they reached age 24 months. The results show that treatment significantly reduced salivary mutans streptococci levels i n mothers and delayed the colonization of bacteria in their children f or about four months.