In Children
In general, S. mutans is acquired in the oral cavity at the moment of tooth eruption. But S. mutans has been detected in the oral cavity of predentate children. This suggests that the eruption of teeth is not a necessary prerequisite. Thus, this species may not be confined to dental plaque. The adhesion, invasion, and persistence within the oral cells are considered the virulence mechanism of S. mutans to colonize and survive in the oral cavity in the absence of a tooth surface.
Read more about this topic: Streptococcus Mutans
Famous quotes containing the word children:
“Being a parent is such serious business that we dare not take it too seriously. Children are inherently funny. So are parents. We all are at our funniest when we are desperately struggling to appear to be in control of a new situation.”
—Lawrence Kutner (20th century)
“The advantage in education is always with those children who slip up into life without being objects of notice.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)