Coverage Continues: Research Suggests Mothers May Not Be The Only Source Of Tooth Decay-Causing Bacteria

Science Daily carries a release from the University of Alabama at Birmingham stating that ongoing research at its Department of Biology and School of Dentistry shows “more evidence that children may receive oral microbes from other, nonrelative children.” While literature has previously identified mothers as the source of microbes that cause tooth decay in children, researchers have found “72 percent of children harbored at least one strain of the cavity-causing Streptococcus mutans not found in any cohabiting family members.” The findings were presented at the American Society for Microbiology MICROBE 2016 Meeting in Boston.