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Clonal eucalyptus plantings have increased in recent years; however, some clones with high production characteristics have vegetative propagation problems because of weak root and aerial development. Endophytic microorganisms live inside healthy plants without causing any damage to their hosts and can be beneficial, acting as plant growth promoters. We isolated endophytic bacteria from eucalyptus plants and evaluated their potential in plant growth promotion of clonal plantlets of Eucalyptus urophylla x E. grandis, known as the hybrid, E. urograndis. Eighteen isolates of E. urograndis, clone 4622, were tested for plant growth promotion using the same clone. These isolates were also evaluated for indole acetic acid production and their potential for nitrogen fixation and phosphate solubilization. The isolates were identified by partial sequencing of 16S rRNA. Bacillus subtilis was the most prevalent species. Several Bacillus species, including B. licheniformis and B. subtilis, were found for the first time as endophytes of eucalyptus. Bacillus sp strain EUCB 10 significantly increased the growth of the root and aerial parts of eucalyptus plantlets under greenhouse conditions, during the summer and winter seasons.

Fluorides and chlorhexidine are technologies that are 65 and 40 years old, respectively. This overview argues that current methods of caries prevention are not effective for the high caries risk patient. In this review examples, arguments and recommendations are provided to address the high caries risk patient that include: failure of comprehensive chemical modalities treatments to address the high caries risk patient; ecological alteration - would this be an effective approach?; and biomaterials and oral microbiome research to address the high caries risk patient., (© 2011 FDI World Dental Federation.)

Objectives: The aim of this study was to analyze the periodontal parameters of patients with chronic renal failure., Material and Methods: The periodontal status of 16 Brazilian patients aged 29 to 53 (41.7 ± 7.2) years with chronic renal failure (CRF) and another matched group of 14 healthy controls with periodontitis was assessed clinically and microbiologically. Probing pocket depth (PPD), gingival recession (GR), dental plaque index (PLI), gingival index (GI), and dental calculus index (CI) were the clinical parameters recorded for the entire dentition (at least 19 teeth), while the anaerobic periodontopathogen colonization in four sites with the highest PPD was evaluated using the BANA test ("PerioScan"; Oral B)., Results: The results for the CRF group and control group, respectively were: PPD: 1.77 ± 0.32 and 2.65 ± 0.53; GR: 0.58 ± 0.56 and 0.51 ± 0.36; PLI: 1.64 ± 0.56 and 1.24 ± 0.67; GI: 0.64 ± 0.42 and 0.93 ± 0.50; CI: 1.17 ± 0.54 and 0.87 ± 0.52. Comparison between groups using the "t" test revealed a significantly increased PPD (p<0.001) in the control group. Comparison of the other clinicial parameters by the Mann-Whitney test showed differences only for PLI, which was significantly higher (p<0.05) in the CRF group. Spearman's test applied to each group showed a positive correlation among all clinical parameters, except for GR (p<0.05). None of the groups showed any correlation between GR and GI, while a significant negative correlation between GR and PPD was observed for the CRF group. The percentage of BANA-positive sites was 35.9% for the CRF group and 35.7% for the control group. The BANA test correlated positively with PPD only in the control group and with GR only in the CRF group., Conclusions: In spite of a higher PLI and dense anaerobic microbial population even in shallow PPD, patients with CRF exhibited better periodontal conditions than periodontitis patients, which is an evidence of altered response to local irritants.

The aims of this study are (1) to describe issues related to recruitment of mothers participating in a clinical trial of transmission of mutans streptococci (MS) from mother to child in Bauru, Brazil and (2) to perform cross-cultural and temporal comparisons of levels of infection of the MS in mothers of Bauru. A total of 1422 mothers were visited at their domiciles. Cutoff levels for the MS were established at ≥10(5) CFU/mL saliva. The main reason for a mother not enrolling was not being highly infected by the MS, yet 76% of mothers presented with levels ≥10(5) CFU/mL saliva. Recent studies in industrialized countries showed a negative coefficient for linear tests indicating significant decline overtime in the levels of MS in mothers. Intercountry comparisons for mothers' salivary levels of the MS with the Bauru study as the reference revealed significant differences with studies conducted in the last two decades.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the moment of streptococcus mutans (SM) acquisition, caries development and their associate variables along 23 months, in first-born children of low socioeconomic status families, starting at 7 months of age. METHOD: The sample was chosen based on highly SM-colonized mothers, including all members of 14 families living in the same houses. The study included 14 mothers, 14 fathers and 14 first-borns and 8 relatives (mostly grandparents). Initial clinical examinations and radiographs determined the caries indices and periodontal conditions of the adults. SM count in all adults was made in the first 2 visits. The children were examined for SM count, number of teeth and number of carious lesions, in 4 visits. RESULTS: SM prevalence was high in the adults, being absent in only one of the parents. SM was found in 1, 2, 3 and 10 children in the first, second, third and fourth visits. Dental caries was detected in only 3 children in the last visit (at 30 months), who presented significantly higher SM scores than the children without caries in the same visit. CONCLUSION: A low income social condition and mothers highly colonized by SM do not mean necessarily early SM colonization and high caries activity in children with oral homecare. Caries development is significantly associated with high SM scores in the children.

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the antimicrobial effect of ethanol extract of propolis (EEP) and intracanal medicaments calcium hydroxide, camphorated paramonochlorophenol, and formocresol by means of the macrodilution method using the reinforced clostridial medium (RCM) and brucella and brain heart infusion media., Study Design: The antimicrobial agents were sequentially diluted and tested against anaerobic bacteria Prevotella nigrescens, Fusobacterium nucleatum, Actinomyces israelii, and Clostridium perfringens and against Enterococcus faecalis, with the 5 x 10(5) CFU/mL standardized inocula. The tubes were anaerobically incubated and the minimum inhibitory concentration was detected. Blood agar RCM subcultures were performed to provide minimum bactericidal concentration. The results were analyzed by analysis of variance test., Results: All drugs were effective against all tested strains, without statistical differences. E. faecalis was the less susceptible strain, and RCM broth promoted faster bacterial growth, but there were no significant differences in these results. Ethanol did not influence the antimicrobial effect of EEP.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate compliance of long-term xylitol and sorbitol chewing gum regimens in adult women participating in a double-blind randomized controlled clinical trial. DESIGN: The participants included 122 mothers (age range: 16-35 years) residing in the city of Bauru, São Paulo, Brazil. Compliance with the xylitol and sorbitol chewing gum regimens was assessed by weighing, with a precision balance, all used gums returned in zip-lock bags during the study period of 33 months. The total number of returned bags in both chewing gum groups was computed and the differences between groups were determined by one-way ANOVA. Compliance was further categorized into excellent, good, fair or poor based on the distribution of the combined data for both groups by quartiles. These distributions for the xylitol and sorbitol groups were subjected to chi-square analysis. RESULTS: Compliance was always superior for the xylitol group in all categories. These distributions were, however, not significantly different in statistical terms. Average compliance in the xylitol chewing gum group was significantly higher when compared to the sorbitol chewing gum group (p=0.0481). CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that compliance, and possibly acceptance in this population, was superior for xylitol chewing gum than for sorbitol chewing gum.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was two-fold: 1) to determine the effects of mechanical and chemical modalities treatments on periodontal clinical and microbiological parameters of mothers; and 2) to determine the subsequent colonization of periodontal pathogens in tongue samples from their infants. DESIGN: A total of 168 mothers met inclusion criteria to participate in a randomized double-masked placebo-controlled clinical trial. Of those, 121 mothers (and their infants) of 158 seen at baseline provided complete data during study protocols from when their infants were 3 months old until the infants were about 2 years old. Treatments consisted of a combination of xylitol chewing gum, fluoride and chlorhexidine varnishes. The control/placebo group received sorbitol chewing gum and placebo varnishes. The effect of these treatments on periodontal clinical and microbiological parameters of mothers and on microbiological parameters of their infants was assessed by generalized estimating equation models. RESULTS: Microbiological outcomes using the BANA Test were lower for the majority of the visits in the test group when compared to the control/placebo group. These differences, however, were not statistically significant. Similarly, mean PBS results were lower for all follow-up visits for test-group mothers when compared to the control/placebo group's mothers, but of no statistical significance. Colonization of the tongue in infants by periodontal pathogens as measured by the BANA Test showed no distinct patterns concerning the stability of colonization of periodontal pathogens throughout the study period, albeit slightly superior for the test group. CONCLUSIONS: We have demonstrated that a combined chemical modalities treatment consisting of xylitol chewing gum, fluoride varnish and chlorhexidine varnish was moderately superior to control/placebo treatments on periodontal clinical and microbiological parameters of mothers throughout the study period, but of no statistical significance. Similar results were found for the infants in the test group when compared to infants of the control/placebo groups.

Objective: To compare periodontal conditions in children with and without cleft., Design: Clinical examinations and microbiological analysis of 57 selected children, including 30 with unilateral complete cleft lip and palate (experimental group) and 27 without clefts (control group)., Setting: Hospital of Rehabilitation of Craniofacial Anomalies (HRCA) in Bauru, Sao Paulo, Brazil., Patients, Participants: All children examined were healthy and between the ages of 5 and 6 years., Results: The mean plaque index (PI) in the experimental group was higher (1.82 +/- 0.3) than in the control group (1.63 +/- 0.38), although this difference was not statistically significant. The mean gingival index (GI) in the experimental group (1.82 +/- 0.38) was found to be significantly higher (p <.05) than that of the control group (0.79 +/- 0.33). The cleft area in the experimental group, with a mean PI of 2.04 +/- 0.58 and mean GI of 1.11 +/- 0.26, compared with the posterior area, with a mean PI of 1.74 +/- 0.37 and mean GI of 1.04 +/- 0.26, showed a statistically significant difference only in the PI. Most of the children in both experimental and control groups presented a moderate PI degree (73.33% and 81.48%, respectively) and a high prevalence of mild gingivitis (53.33% and 70.37%, respectively). Analysis of the organisms showed that Prevotella nigrescens was detected in 16.67% of the experimental group and 11.11% of the control, whereas Porphyromonas gingivalis and Treponema denticola were not detected., Conclusion: Children with clefts showed greater gingival inflammation, despite the same amount of plaque and prevalence of microorganisms.

Ionomeric materials release different proportions of fluoride and aluminum. Their simultaneous effect on the acidogenicity and composition of S. mutans biofilm is unknown. Six cylindrical specimens of each material (Ketac-fil, Vitremer, Fuji-Ortho LC, F-2000, and Z-100) were incubated with S. mutans GS-5 in culture media containing 5% sucrose (w/v). The media were changed daily for seven days, during which the pH and concentrations of fluoride and aluminum were determined. Furthermore, the concentrations of these ions and insoluble polysaccharide were determined in the biofilm formed at the end of the experimental period. The results showed that all the materials tested released fluoride. However, Vitremer released the highest amount of aluminum and was the most effective in reducing the acidogenicity of S. mutans biofilms. It also significantly affected both biofilm formation and composition. Thus, this study suggests that aluminum released by ionomeric materials may enhance the biological effects of fluoride.

The aim of this study was to assess the periodontal condition and the presence of putative periodontal pathogens in 30 Brazilian mothers, aging 21-40 years (28.4 4.49 years), and in their children, aging 5-6 years, since mothers can be a source of pathogens and, thus, influence their children's bacteriological and clinical condition. Besides assessing the plaque index (PI), gingival index (GI) and pocket probing depth (PD), the survey analyzed four subgingival dental plaque samples from mothers and children, as well as a sample of stimulated saliva from mothers. Those samples were analyzed by means of the slot immunoblot (SIB) technique, in order to determine the presence of Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans (Aa), Prevotella nigrescens (Pn), Porphyromonas gingivalis (Pg) and Treponema denticola (Td). The mean values and standard deviations of the evaluated clinical variables for mothers and children were, respectively: 1.86 0.67 and 1.64 0.68 for PI, and 1.24 0.67 and 0.82 0.37, for GI. Only for mothers, the total PD was 1.81 0.69 mm, and the PD of four sites was 4.03 1.40 mm. The Wilcoxon test revealed significant difference (p < 0.05) between mothers and their children only as to GI. The most prevalent bacteria in mothers were, in decreasing order: Aa, Pn, Pg and Td. The children presented patterns of oral hygiene and bacterial profiles similar to those of their mothers, in spite of the fact that most of them did not present enough subgingival plaque for testing. The comparison between mothers' subgingival dental plaque and saliva samples revealed statistically significant differences (p < 0.05) for all bacteria, with greater positivity and scores in the saliva, which demonstrates that it is an indicator of oral colonization and can work as a vehicle for the transmission of periodontopathogens from mothers to their children.

The effect of daily mouthrinses on dental plaque accumulation and on salivary mutans streptococci was investigated in 200 children. The utilized solutions were: a placebo solution composed of mentholated deionized water (group I); 0.12% chlorhexidine gluconate associated to 0.05% sodium fluoride (group II); 0.2% chlorhexidine digluconate (group III), and 0.5% stevioside mixed with 0.05% sodium fluoride, with pH 3.4 (group IV). In order to verify the effect on plaque formation, the accumulation of plaque was assessed by means of the Löe12 index, at the beginning and at the end of the experiment, whereas the quantification of cariogenic streptococci was accomplished on three saliva samples collected at 3 different moments: before the first mouthrinse, 24 hours after the first mouthrinse and 1 week after the last mouthrinse. The mouthrinsing routine was carried out on a daily basis during 4 weeks. Five milliliters of solution were rinsed during 1 minute. The results revealed 4.10, 26.75, 41.20, and 5.91% of reduction in plaque accumulation for groups I, II, III, and IV, respectively. Comparisons between the groups as to plaque reduction revealed that groups II and III were significantly different from groups I (control) and IV (p < 0.05), but did not differ from each other. The solution utilized by group III was the least accepted by children and, as the solution utilized by group II, caused mild dental pigmentation. There were no statistically significant differences as to the levels of mutans streptococci, probably due to the low initial levels observed in each one of the four groups.

The antimicrobial activity of substances used as antibacterial agents (solutions of 10% calcium hydroxide, camphorated paramonochlorophenol - PMCC, 2% chlorhexidine digluconate and 10% castor oil plant detergent) on anaerobic bacteria (Fusobacterium nucleatum ATCC 25586, Prevotella nigrescens ATCC 33563, Clostridium perfringens ATCC 13124 and Bacteroidesfragilis ATCC 25285), using a broth dilution technique, was evaluated in vitro. For determination of minimum inhibitory and minimum bactericide concentrations (MIC and MBC), two culture broths, Reinforced Clostridial Medium (RCM) and supplemented Brucella, standardized inoculum and serially diluted solutions were used. All antibacterial agents presented antimicrobial activity that varied for different bacteria. There were no differences in the performance of the two broths. Chlorhexidine digluconate was the most effective, with the lowest MICs, followed by castor oil detergent, PMCC and calcium hydroxide. C. perfringens and B. fragilis were the most resistant bacteria to all agents.

The determination of bacterial susceptibility to intracanal medicaments is a necessity. Nevertheless, few studies utilize the proper methodology to carry out that evaluation with anaerobes. In this study, the steps of a broth dilution method, carried out in microplates (microdilution) and tubes (macrodilution), to test the effect of traditional intracanal medicaments on anaerobic bacteria are described. The results are presented as values of minimal inhibitory and bactericidal concentrations (MIC and MBC). Standardized inocula of the anaerobic bacteria Prevotella nigrescens (ATCC 33563), Fusobacterium nucleatum (ATCC 25586) and Clostridium perfringens (ATCC 13124), in reinforced Clostridium medium (RCM) and supplemented Brucella broth, were submitted to different concentrations of calcium hydroxide, chlorhexidine digluconate, camphorated paramonochlorophenol and formocresol solutions. The drugs were diluted in the same culture broths, in microplates and tubes, and were then incubated in anaerobiosis jars at 37 degrees C for 48 or 96 hours. The determination of MICs was carried out through visual and spectrophotometric readings, and the determination of MBCs, through the plating of aliquots on RCM-blood agar. For that kind of study, the macromethod with spectrophotometric reading should be the natural choice. MICs and MBCs obtained with the macromethod were compatible with the known clinical performance of the studied medications, and the values varied according to the bacteria and culture media employed. RCM was the most effective medium and C. perfringens, the most resistant microorganism.

Neosugar is the trade name of a fructooligosaccharide (FOS) whose utilization by oral bacteria is not well known yet. The aim of the present study was to evaluate in vitro the effect of this product on the growth, fermentation and production of plaque by mutans streptococci: S. mutans, serotypes c, e and f, S. sobrinus, serotype d, S. downei, serotype h, S. cricetus, serotype a and S. rattus, serotype b. The evaluation of growth was carried out in Brain Heart Infusion (BHI) broths containing or not sucrose and FOS and in buffered broths having glucose or FOS as carbon sources, through optical density reading in spectrophotometer after 24 hours of incubation at 37 degrees C. Thereafter the reading of pH was made in the same media. The plaque produced on glass sticks in BHI broths containing 5% sucrose or FOS was weighed and carbohydrates and proteins were assayed. The possible cariogenicity of Neosugar was confirmed, since it sustained the same growth and intensity of fermentation of sucrose in BHI broth for all streptococci and permitted in vitro production of plaque by some of them. The amount of plaque as well as its content of proteins and carbohydrates were smaller than those produced with sucrose, although the difference was statistically significant only for carbohydrates.