The oral prevalence of aerobic and facultatively anaerobic gram-negative rods and yeasts in semi-recluse human vegetarians

Limited data exist on the oral ecology of vegetarians. Hence the dental and periodontal status, and the oral prevalence of aerobic and facultatively anaerobic Gram-negative rods (AGNR) and yeasts, were studied in 36 semi-recluse, vegetarian, Buddhist monks and nuns in Hong Kong. The oral prevalence of AGNR and yeasts was 61.1% and 33.3%. There was no correlation between the prevalence of AGNR and/or yeasts and the incidence of carious or filled teeth and the health status of the periodontium. Rather, the results of this study combined with those of previous studies suggest that increasing age and the consumption of food prepared in communal kitchens might be more important contributory factors in the oral prevalence of AGNR than the nature of the diet itself or the health of the dentition and periodontium.