Eficacia de um teste microbiologico para estreptococos do grupo mutans na avaliação do risco de carie

AUTOR(ES)
DATA DE PUBLICAÇÃO

1999

RESUMO

The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of a microbiological test for estimation of mutans streptococci levels in caries risk assessment. Eighty-one volunteers from 6th up to 8th grades from Piracicaba s public schools were assessed for dental caries. A researcher with great skills in examining and treating patients with high caries activity performed the examinations. The students were then submitted to a salivary test, CARITEST SM® (from the same batch number). Kappa statistics (K) was applied to verify the repeatibility of the simplified test checked through interexaminer agreement, in the classification of the microbiological tests, independent1y and blind. The validity of the test was verified according to sensibility and specificity, comparing the microbiological results with the gold standard for caries risk. A fair agreement was verified when the examiners classified according to 6 scores (K=0.55) and a good agreement when they c1assified according to high or low density ofunit colonies formation (K=0.78). The sensibility was 0.59 and the specificity was 0.85, showing that there was a moderate ability of the test to identify the subjects with high caries risk and a substantial ability to identify the group of low caries risk. The microbiological test represents an aid for cariesrisk assessment, but it is not the only criteria to be used for caries risk diagnosis, considering the multifactorial character of the disease

ASSUNTO(S)

caries dentarias caries risk assessment testes microbiologicos microbiological tests mutans streptococci

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