mutans. Recordings were made on the Unilever www.selleckchem.com/products/Abiraterone.html dental proforma using standardized Hu-Friedy dental probes with a tip diameter of 45 microns so that any remineralization is not disturbed that could have happened with a finer tip probe, i.e., 18 ��m, as used by I. J. Moller. Estimation of salivary levels of S. mutans Subsequently, in the same sitting, the salivary sample collection for the estimation of levels of S. mutans was carried out, using a commercially available kit, Dentocult SM (Orion Diagnostica Co. Ltd, Helsinki, Finland) introduced by Jensen and Bratthall.[19] Each participant was given a paraffin pellet (provided in the kit), to be chewed upon for 1 min, and was instructed to swallow the stimulated saliva after the removal of the pellet.
A Dentocult SM�CStrip was rotated ten times on the participant’s tongue and was withdrawn gently with the teeth apart and lips closed to obtain a thin layer of saliva on the strip. This act was rehearsed in each individual before the actual procedure. The contaminated strip was immediately transferred into a glass vial containing the MSB agar medium which contained mitis salivarius agar with sucrose, bacitracin, and potassium tellurite. The vials containing Dentocult SM strips were coded and were transported within an hour of collection to the laboratory in an upright position, by placing them in their original boxes. In the laboratory the vials were given another code by one of the authors, in order to make it a blind study. The screw cap of the vials was opened by quarter of a turn so as to release any gas which could form during incubation.
The vials were incubated at 37�� centigrade for 48 h. After incubation the strips were carefully removed from the vials with the help of tweezers and air dried. The colony density on the strips was compared with the standard interpretation chart (provided by the manufacturer in the kit) and the grading of the strips was done as score 0, 1, 2, or 3 by observing them with the naked eye. Strip mutans score 0 depicts <104 CFU/ml, score 1 corresponds to <105 CFU/ml, Score 2 refers to 105-106 CFU/ml, and Score 3 indicates >106 CFU/ml. The formula of ��when in doubt, score less�� was followed, in doubtful cases one score lower than the observed score was recorded to ensure standardization. After the recording, the strips were packed in plastic bags and sent for incineration.
Statistical analysis The recorded data were transferred to an MS-excel sheet and statistical analysis was carried out using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, version 13.0 for Windows). The data were statistically analyzed using ANOVA test. Dental caries experience was correlated with S. mutans levels using Pearson’s correlation coefficient. Drug_discovery All statistical tests were two-sided and performed at a significance level of 0.05. RESULTS The frequency distribution of S.