Caracterización de la flora bucal según patrón de amamantamiento en un grupo de madres e hijos de la Ciudad de Chihuahua, Chihuahua. Lactancia y flora patógena oral.

Abstract

Background: The immunological effect of breast milk, which contains proteins and minerals whose bacteriostatic effect is similar to that of some antibiotics, as well as phagocytic cells, lymphocytes, and immuno- globulins, can modulate colonization of a baby’s mouth from the mother and the environment. Objectives: To determine the relationship between potentially pathogenic oral microbiota and breastfeeding pattern based on the simplified oral hygiene index (OHI-S) of the mother. Material and methods: A longitudinal study involving 29 healthy 3- and 6-month-old children born at the University Hospital of Chihuahua. After having obtained signed informed consent, we proceeded to take samples from the mouths of the babies and the mothers, and a microbiological culture was prepared for Candida ssp. and S. aureus. Lactobacillus ssp. and S. mutans cultures were taken from the mothers at 3 and 6 months. In the second sample (the infants), S. mutans and Lactobacillus ssp. were cultivated. The OHI-S of the mother was calculated and the results were compared based on breastfeeding type. Results: The OHI-S scores of 79.2% of the mothers were unsatisfactory. A relationship was found between the flora of the baby and that of the mother, except in the case of Candida ssp., where 10 babies were positive at the third month and 8 at the sixth month while the mother was negative, and Lactobacillus ssp., where 8 mothers were positive while their babies were negative. In all types of infections, the effect of breastfeeding was found to be positive, though not significant, with an OR of 0.3 at three months and 0.6 at six months. Conclusions: A significant percentage of mothers had a high OHI-S score. Nevertheless, breastfeeding, even when non- exclusive, tends to provide protection against colonization by oral pathogens both at three and six months, despite the lack of power due to the sample size.