Non-Cochrane · aetiology · PM39866729
A systematic review of Streptococcus Mutans and Veillonellae species interactions in dental caries progression: Positive or Negative impact?
Hasan Faizul, Setia Budi Hendrik, Ramasamy Rajesh, et al. · F1000Research · 2024 · PubMed · doi:10.12688/f1000research.155987.2
Full textEvery question was extracted from the full text, figures and supplements by two independent LLM extractors, disagreements adjudicated. Rows cite where in the review the value comes from.
Questions
16
current version
GRADE rated
0
No studies
0
Included studies
7
linked below
No studies 0 · 0%Ungraded 16 · 100%Very low 0 · 0%Low 0 · 0%Moderate 0 · 0%High 0 · 0%
Ungraded means an effect was reported without a GRADE rating; it is not a gap. No studies means the review found nothing to answer the question. The six categories are a display order, not a score.
Review question
| Element | Planned (methods) | Found (results) |
|---|---|---|
| Population | Individuals with dental caries, early childhood caries (ECC), or root caries, compared or not with a caries-free control group; no language or publication-date restrictions | 7 studies (n=408 participants); mostly children (age about 1 to 3.89 years) with ECC (4 studies) or severe ECC (3 studies); 5 studies USA, 1 Hong Kong, 1 Indonesia |
| Intervention | Studies reporting the interaction between Streptococcus mutans and Veillonella spp. in dental caries (microbial abundance/interaction as the exposure of interest) | Veillonella spp. relative abundance and its interaction with S. mutans (lactate metabolism, modulation of acid production) |
| Comparison | Caries-free control group (comparison optional) | Caries-free controls (most studies included a control group) |
| Outcomes | Interaction between S. mutans and Veillonella spp. in dental caries (relative abundance, acid production, cariogenic process); caries defined by DMFT/DMFS or another standard instrument | Narrative synthesis only (no meta-analysis): Veillonella spp. may inhibit S. mutans acid production and compete for lactate substrate, potentially modulating cariogenesis; the association between Veillonella abundance and caries was inconsistent across studies (higher in some, lower or no difference in others) |
| Study designs | Cross-sectional, case-control, prospective, retrospective, or randomized controlled full-text studies | Mostly cross-sectional (observational); also case-control |
| Timing | Not specified | Not specified |
Search date: 18 July 2023 (databases searched from inception). Databases: PubMed; Embase; Cochrane Library
Questions and results
Dental caries (ECC/severe ECC) as exposure/grouping vs Caries-free controls
Population: Individuals assessed for dental caries, predominantly children with early childhood caries (ECC) or severe ECC (age about 1 to 4 years)
| Outcome | Effect | Evidence | Status / GRADE |
|---|---|---|---|
Relative abundance of Streptococcus mutans A few small studies report Streptococcus mutans relative abundance in caries versus caries-free children without pooling; the evidence is ungraded and not meta-analyzed. Source: Table 4 (Agnello 2017; Chalmers 2015) · same question in other reviews | Reported in 2 studies without pooling: Agnello 2017 median S. mutans relative abundance 0.73% (0.02-22.9) in caries vs 0.15% (0.006-10.4) in controls; Chalmers 2015 Streptococcus 35.63+/-17.04 (caries) vs 32.11+/-18.91… | 1 study · 50 participants | Ungraded |
Veillonella spp. relative abundance Population: Children under 6 years with severe early childhood caries and caries-free controls Veillonella spp. mean relative abundance was lower in the S-ECC group; no comparative effect estimate or CI was reported. Source: Table 3; Table 4 (Chalmers, 2015) · same question in other reviews | Mean relative abundance (%) caries 5.25 (SD 6.65) vs control 15.22 (SD 9.48); P=0.033 | 1 study · 9 (caries only; control not reported in Table 3) participants | Ungraded |
Streptococcus mutans relative abundance Population: Children under 6 years with severe early childhood caries and caries-free controls S. mutans median relative abundance was higher in the S-ECC group, without a comparative effect estimate or CI. Source: Table 3; Table 4 (Agnello, 2017) · same question in other reviews | Median relative abundance (%) caries 0.73 (range 0.02-22.9) vs control 0.15 (0.006-10.4) | 1 study · 50 participants | Ungraded |
Streptococcus relative abundance Population: Children under 6 years with severe early childhood caries and caries-free controls Streptococcus mean relative abundance was slightly higher in the S-ECC group; no comparative effect estimate or CI was reported. Source: Table 3; Table 4 (Chalmers, 2015) · same question in other reviews | Mean relative abundance (%) caries 35.63 (SD 17.04) vs control 32.11 (SD 18.91) | 1 study · 9 (caries only; control not reported in Table 3) participants | Ungraded |
Relative abundance of Veillonella spp. Evidence on whether Veillonella spp. relative abundance is higher or lower in children with dental caries than caries-free controls is inconsistent across 7 small observational studies; no pooled estimate was produced and the evidence is ungraded. Source: Results 'Selection, inclusion, and characteristics of studies' and 'Interaction between Streptococcus mutans and Veillonella spp. on… · same question in other reviews | No meta-analysis was performed (too few studies). Across 7 studies the direction was inconsistent: Veillonella spp. relative abundance was higher in caries than in caries-free subjects in some studies (Setiawan 2020:… | 3 studies · 146 participants | Ungraded |
Veillonella spp. and Streptococcus mutans interaction Population: Children under 6 years with severe early childhood caries and caries-free controls The study reported a possible role for Veillonella spp. in supporting cariogenic species, without a quantitative effect estimate. Source: Table 3; Table 4 (Tanner, 2011) · same question in other reviews | Veillonella spp. may promote proliferation or survival of cariogenic species, as shown for interactions between Veillonella spp. and S. mutans. | 1 study · 82 participants | Ungraded |
Veillonella dispar relative abundance Population: Children under 6 years with severe early childhood caries and caries-free controls Veillonella dispar median relative abundance was higher in the S-ECC group, without a comparative effect estimate or CI. Source: Table 3; Table 4 (Agnello, 2017) · same question in other reviews | Median relative abundance (%) caries 3.0 (range 0.33-19.0) vs control 2.2 (0.15-9.4) | 1 study · 50 participants | Ungraded |
Early childhood caries vs Caries-free controls
Population: Young children with early childhood caries and caries-free controls
| Outcome | Effect | Evidence | Status / GRADE |
|---|---|---|---|
Veillonella spp. relative abundance Veillonella spp. mean relative abundance was higher in ECC children, without a comparative effect estimate or CI. Source: Table 3; Table 4 (Setiawan, 2020) · same question in other reviews | Mean relative abundance (%) ECC 3.29 (SD 6.83) vs caries-free 2.13 (SD 2.30) | 1 study · 87 participants | Ungraded |
Number of detected salivary bacterial genera Fewer salivary bacterial genera were reported in the caries-affected group, without a comparative effect estimate or CI. Source: Table 3; Table 4 (Jiang, 2016) · same question in other reviews | Number of genera caries-affected 117 vs caries-free 123 genera | 1 study · 40 participants | Ungraded |
Relative abundance of dominant salivary microbial community (7 genera) The reported multi-genus community had similar relative abundance in caries-affected and caries-free children, without a comparative effect estimate or CI. Source: Table 3; Table 4 (Jiang, 2016) · same question in other reviews | Relative abundance (%) caries-affected 75% vs caries-free 74% | 1 study · 40 participants | Ungraded |
Correlation of Veillonella spp. with acidogenic streptococci Veillonella spp. levels were correlated with acidogenic streptococci in white spot lesions (r²=0.38); no CI was reported. Source: Table 3; Table 4 (Gross, 2012) · same question in other reviews | R² 0.38 | 1 study · NA (white-spot correlation analytic sample not reported) participants | Ungraded |
Streptococcus mutans and Veillonella spp. levels Veillonella spp. levels were reported as substantially greater in caries subjects, but the review gave no numerical effect estimate or CI. Source: Table 3; Table 4 (Milnes, 1985) · same question in other reviews | Veillonella spp. significantly greater in caries subjects, but detection unrelated to lesion development and unlikely to modify caries attack (qualitative) | 1 study · 9 participants | Ungraded |
Streptococcus mutans acid (lactic acid) production and cariogenic potential Population: Oral biofilm of children/individuals at risk of dental caries The review concludes that Veillonella spp. may modulate (often inhibit) S. mutans acid production and compete for lactate substrate, potentially reducing cariogenesis, but the evidence is narrative and ungraded. Source: Abstract; Results 'Interaction between Streptococcus mutans and Veillonella spp. on dental caries'; Discussion; Conclusion · same question in other reviews | Narrative synthesis (no effect estimate): Veillonella spp. can inhibit acid production by S. mutans and compete for substrate by utilizing lactic acid, a by-product of S. mutans metabolism, as a carbon source,… | NR | Ungraded |
Veillonella spp. abundance
Population: Children without a previous history of caries
| Outcome | Effect | Evidence | Status / GRADE |
|---|---|---|---|
Future caries Veillonella spp. predicted future caries among children without a caries history, but no quantitative effect estimate was reported. Source: Table 3; Table 4 (Gross, 2012) · same question in other reviews | Among children without a previous history of caries, Veillonella spp., but not S. mutans or other acid-producing species, predicted future caries. | 1 study · NA (subgroup without prior caries history; n not reported) participants | Ungraded |
Comparison
| Outcome | Effect | Evidence | Status / GRADE |
|---|---|---|---|
Veillonella spp. association with caries (qualitative) | Veillonella spp. associated with caries; no quantitative estimate reported | 1 study | Ungraded |
Future caries prediction Children without previous caries history | S. mutans and other acid-producing species did not predict future caries (null; no estimate) | 1 study | Ungraded |
Included primary studies 7
Open as a trial list| Study | Also included by | Outcomes it informs here | Trial PICO | Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agnello 2017 matched by author and year (probable) | this review only | Veillonella dispar relative abundance | not extracted yet | not extracted yet |
| Chalmers 2015 matched by author and year (probable) | this review only | Veillonella dispar relative abundance | not extracted yet | not extracted yet |
| Gross 2012 Beyond Streptococcus mutans: dental caries onset linked to multiple species by 16S rRNA community analysis. PMID:23091642 | this review only | Veillonella dispar relative abundance | not extracted yet | not extracted yet |
| Jiang 2016 matched by author and year (probable) | this review only | Veillonella dispar relative abundance | not extracted yet | not extracted yet |
| Milnes 1985 matched by author and year (probable) | this review only | Veillonella dispar relative abundance | not extracted yet | not extracted yet |
| Setiawan 2020 matched by author and year (probable) | this review only | Veillonella dispar relative abundance | not extracted yet | not extracted yet |
| Tanner 2011 matched by author and year (probable) | this review only | Veillonella dispar relative abundance | not extracted yet | not extracted yet |