الفهرس 
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Abstract
Dental caries is still a major health problem in children even in developed countries, despite the efforts and achievements in preventive measures in oral health. The main bacteria in the caries process is streptococcus mutans and the presence of early S. mutans colonization seems to be a relevant and practical marker of increased caries risk. Thus, actions taken towards S. mutans are important strategies to prevent the disease. Probiotic bacteria thought to reduce S. mutans count in the oral cavity.
Therefore the present study was conducted to study the effect of chewable probiotic tablets (Evorakids) on the level of salivary S. mutans in a group of pre-school children with early childhood caries.
A total of forty pediatric dental patients of age ranging from 3 to 5 years old were selected from the outpatient clinic of Pediatric Dentistry Department, Faculty of Dentistry, Alexandria University, Egypt.
The sample was divided randomly into two equal groups:
Study group: included 20 children who did the routine tooth brushing with fluoridated tooth paste in conjunction with probiotic chewable tablet was given once/day for two weeks
Control group: included 20 children who did the routine tooth brushing with fluoridated tooth paste only.
Quantitative microbiological laboratory cultivation method of S. mutans was carried out for each child at the baseline and after 2 weeks of the study period.
Data was collected and analyzed statistically, and the results showed that there was a statistically significant difference in the mean log S. mutans counts between base line and after 2 weeks in both groups. There was a significant difference in mean log value between study and control group after intervention. The greater percent of reduction was found in the study group.
The study came with a conclusion that; the use of probiotic chewable tablets showed significant results in reducing the cariogenic salivary S. mutans counts.