Relationship of Streptococcus mutans biotypes to dental caries prevalence in Saudi Arabian naval men.

A group of 217 Saudi Arabian naval recruits were examined clinically, radiographically, and microbiologically for the prevalence of Streptococcus mutans. Caries experience was considerably lower than in US recruits of comparable age and showed a significant positive correlation with the prevalence of S mutans in dental plaque samples. The distribution of S mutans biotypes and their relationship to dental caries in the Saudi Arabians were studied.