A bacteriological study of rampant caries in children.

We undertook a microbiological study, in children, of dental plaque from sound surfaces or associated with rampant caries, both black-colored and unstained. Improved selective media allowed for the enumeration of bacteria belonging to specific genera or species present in plaque samples. A nearly similar bacterial distribution was found in both types of rampant caries. Aciduric flora, Streptococcus mutans, Veillonella, and Lactobacillus predominated in plaque over the lesions, whereas extracellular polysaccharide-producing streptococci other than S. mutans, as well as Actinomyces, were more abundant in plaque from sound surfaces. However, more lactobacilli and Actinomyces were recovered from pigmented lesions than from the unstained ones. These findings suggest that the microbial flora associated with black-pigmented lesions did not strongly differ from that observed over unstained caries lesions.