Comparison the salivary streptococcus mutans levels between caries-active and caries-free children from Birjand, Iran: A case-control study

Objective: Dental plaque bacteria, including Streptococcus mutans (SM), play a role in the pathogenesis of the dental caries. There are conflicting results regarding the association of salivary SM level and dental caries susceptibility. Our aim was to compare salivary SM levels in colony-forming units (CFU) between children with active caries and caries-free children in Birjand, Iran. Methods: This case-control study included 61 six-year-old children referred to health centers in Birjand city, Iran, in 2022. The children were divided into two groups: case (dmft/DMFT>0 with active caries) (including 31 children) and control (dmft/DMFT = 0 [caries-free]) (including 30 children). Demographic information and dental history were recorded. Oral examinations were also performed by the dentist. Unstimulated saliva samples were collected from children. The number of salivary SM colonies was determined using the microbial culture and confirmed using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The data were analyzed using Chi-square and T-tests at a significance level of p < 0.05. Results: The mean number of SM colonies was 126.24 ± 92.78 CFU/ml and 92.38 ± 75.34 CFU/ml in case and control groups, respectively. No significant difference was found in salivary SM levels between case and control groups (P = 0.125). No significant association was observed between caries experience with gender (P = 0.363), type of school (public/private) (P = 0.296), receiving oral health education (P = 0.072) and frequency of tooth brushing (P = 0.935). The mean gingival index (P = 0.001) and plaque index (P = 0.025) in case group were significantly higher than control group. Conclusion: There is no significant difference in salivary SM levels between caries-active and caries-free children in Birjandi children

Facile bio-genic synthesis of Astragalus sarcocolla (Anzaroot) gum extract mediated silver nanoparticles: Characterizations, antimicrobial and antioxidant activities

The recent increase in antibiotic-resistant bacteria has led to a notable difficulty in medicine, demanding endeavors to fabricate efficient antibacterial substances. Unlike traditional physical and chemical approaches, bio-genic approaches demonstrate various advantages, such as affordability, safety, and speed. The current study presents novel green silver nanoparticles employing Astragalus sarcocolla (Anzaroot) gum extract (ASG-AgNPs). For the first time, the alcoholic gum extract of this plant was used to synthesize silver nanoparticles in order to obtain antioxidant and antimicrobial nanoparticles. After optimizing the fabrication reaction conditions, ASG-AgNPs were characterized by DLS, UV-Vis spectroscopy, TEM, FT-IR, and XRD analyses. The antibacterial and antifungal potential of ASG-AgNPs and ASG extract was examined against Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis, and Candida albicans by the broth microdilution method. Also, the DPPH technique was carried out to investigate the antioxidant property. TEM images displayed a highly even and spherical configuration of ASG-AgNPs, with an average size of 15.76 ± 1.40 nm. ASG-AgNPs exhibited high antimicrobial activity against all examined microbial models. The strongest effects were on Candida albicans and Klebsiella pneumoniae microorganisms, with MIC values of 62.5 and 156.25 μg/ml, respectively. DPPH radical inhibition percentages were raised from 14 to 98 by raising the concentration of ASG-AgNPs from 100 to 800 μg/ml, indicating suitable antioxidant activity. Both the antimicrobial and antioxidant properties of the extract were weaker than ASG-AgNPs, suggesting significant synergism between the extract and AgNPs. These findings demonstrate that utilizing the gum of the Astragalus sarcocolla plant is effective in producing AgNPs, which likely possess significant potential for pharmaceutical and biomedical applications. However, further research is required