Abstract

Introduction: Chromogenic staining or “Black Stain” (BS) has been associated with a low caries frequency and less cariogenic bacteria count. The aim of the study was to determine the difference in the number of patients who have a high count of S. mutans (>105 CFU/ml saliva) among children with BS and without them. Material and methods: Analytical observational cross-sectional study. In this study were included 158 children between 6 and 12 years old, from educational establishments in the city of Valdivia, Chile. After clinical muexamination, the prevalence of individuals with BS was determined and a group was formed with no stains to compare the count of S. mutans. We calculate the ratio of patients with values> 105 CFU/ml in the two groups to identify the patients with high cariogenic risk. Statistical differences were evaluated by Fisher’s test (p<0.05). Results: BS was diagnosed in 15 children (6 men and 9 women), estimating a prevalence of 9.5% of all examined. Thus, the groups studied were formed by 15 children with BS and 30 without staining. There was no statistically significant difference (p=0.538) in the proportion of children with >105 CFU/ml of S. mutans between groups. Discussion: The presence of BS in patients aged 6 to 12 years is not associated with cariogenic risk.