Abstract :
Background: Adolescence is a developmental period of vital importance with hormonal shift, changing lifestyle, and behavior, which impingesimportantly upon oral health and microbiota. It is crucial to comprehend these microbial differences to design potent, age-specific preventive oral health measures.Objective: To examine diversity and oral bacterial species prevalence among adolescents in Uttarakhand and discuss their relation with demographic variables and oral hygiene practices.Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional designwas conducted using 70 adolescents between 10 and 19 years old. Unstimulated saliva samples were obtained and cultured on selective medium.Bacterial isolates were characterized by Gram stainingand biochemical assays such as catalase, methyl red-Voges Proskauer, indole, and citrate utilization tests. Statistical correlations between the presence of bacteria and factors like age, gender, and oral hygiene were evaluated with Chi-square tests through SPSS v23.Results: Streptococcus spp. dominated (24%), followed by Lactobacillus spp. (20%) and Actinomyces spp. (17%). In 7% of the adolescents, mixed colonization by several species was observed, and in 32% of the samples, no bacterial growth was found, predominantly in females and regular brushers. Actinomyces spp. were significantly more common in older adolescents (?² = 4.63, p = 0.031). Streptococcus spp. prevalence was positively related to poor oral hygiene (?² = 6.12, p = 0.013), with no statistically significant variation by gender (?² = 0.47, p = 0.49).Conclusions: Oral microbiota composition among adolescents of Uttarakhand is largely determined by oral hygieneand age, not gender. Thesefindings point to the need for adolescent-specific oral healtheducation and preventive care measures to reduce risks related to dental caries and periodontal disease.
Keyword :
Adolescents, Oral microbiota, Streptococcus, Lactobacillus, Actinomyces, Preventive dentistry, Uttarakhand.