Method and means for caries prevention and susceptibility detection

Abstract

A method for identifying the susceptibility of a person to dental caries comprises the assay of one or several of: an agent having high binding capacity to Streptococcus mutans but low binding capacity to Actinomyces naeslundii, an agent having high binding capacity to S. mutans-binding agglutinin, an agent having high binding capacity to A. naeslundii. The agent having high binding capacity to Streptococcus mutans but low binding capacity to A. naeslundii comprises an allelic Db type of salivary acidic proline-rich molecules (acidic PRPs), a biologically active fragment or a genetic precursor thereof. A corresponding reagent is also identified. Also disclosed are a method and an agent for the prevention of caries, as well as labelled S. mutans and A. naeslundii and their use.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.