Simplified sampling methods for estimating levels of lactobacilli in saliva in dental clinical practice

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to evaluate whether estimation of lactobacilli was possible with simplified saliva sampling methods. Dentocult^® LB (Orion Diagnostica AB, Trosa, Sweden) was used to estimate the number of lactobacilli in saliva sampled by 3 different methods from 96 individuals: (i) Collecting and pouring stimulated saliva over a Dentocult^® dip-slide; (ii) direct licking of the Dentocult^® LB dip-slide; (iii) contaminating a wooden spatula with saliva and pressing against the Dentocult^® dip-slide. The first method was in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions and selected as the 'gold standard'; the other 2 methods were compared with this result. The 2 simplified methods for estimating levels of lactobacilli in saliva showed good reliability and specificity. Sensitivity, defined as the ability to detect individuals with a high number of lactabacilli in saliva, was sufficient for the licking method (85%), but significantly reduced for the wooden spatula method (52%).