Molecular detection of bacteria associated with dental lesions

The present work aimed to isolate and identify S. mutans thawere late from saliva by using PCR technique. Saliva was collected from forty healthy subjects in Baghdad city; ages were between 19-21 years old. Before beginning the research, approval of the protocol was acquired from the relevant Ethical Committee, and each subject gave their written permission after receiving appropriate information. The results showed that 100 healthy patients of Dentistry College from Baghdad University were included in this study, 65% of them were male and 35% were female, 87% were residents of Baghdad and 13% were non-Baghdad residents. In order to verify the identity of the bacteria, an amplification of the 16S rRNA was carried out using 12 separate samples. After using primers targeting a conserved area of 16S rRNA to amplify the DNA of S. mutans isolates using PCR, the resulting DNA fragments were separated on an agarose gel. S. mutans contained a 16S rRNA gene band of 332 bp in 12 (100%) of the samples. 16S rRNA is more accurate than bacterial and biochemical tests in identifying S. mutans isolates. Due to the over 100 identified species in the genus Streptococcus, traditional microbiological culturing techniques restrict investigations regarding the identification of distinct populations of S. mutans. As a result, 16S rRNA is more accurate than bacterial and biochemical testing for identifying S. mutans isolates.