The objective of this study was to analyze the genotypic diversity, frequency of serotypes and the detection of mutacins from Streptococcus mutans isolates in caries-free and caries-active individuals.A total of 260 S. mutans isolated from 28 individuals with and without dental caries were subjected to AP-PCR and PCR screening of glucosyltransferase B, mutacin and serotype genes, which showed the presence of. 70 different genotypes. There was no statistically significant association between the presence of genes for serotypes and mutacins with dental caries. However, there was a statistically significant and a strong association between the higher genotypic diversity in the subjects with caries (r = 0.72, p = 0.001). There was an increase in the number of genotypes with increasing age (p <0.01).

Silorane-based composite, an epoxy material, was marketed as promising less polymerization contraction than conventional restorative materials. The aim of this study was to evaluate, by means of photoelasticity, the polymerization stress generated by a silorane-based composite. Thirty photoelastic rings with orifices measuring 5 mm (d) × 3 mm (h) were prepared and divided into 6 groups (n = 5) according to the material tested. The inside walls of the rings were sandblasted with aluminum oxide, after which the restorative materials were inserted into the orifices and photoactivated according to the manufacturer's instructions. The specimens were analyzed and the visual representation of the stress was measured considering the isochromatic ring of first order. The data were converted to MPa and subjected to ANOVA and Tukey's test (α= 0.05). The adhesive Filtek P-90 (G5) showed high contraction stress (p < 0.05) when compared to G1, G2, G3, G4, and G6, which did not differ from each other (p > 0.05). The composite Filtek P-90 showed similar contraction stress compared to the conventional composite and, additionally, its adhesive showed higher stress than did the etch-and-rinse 2-step adhesive.