Figure 1. Species detected from sound or carious tooth samples. In the 6- to 18-month-old children, the species detected at higher DNA probe levels from carious teeth were S. sobrinus, S. oralis, S. intermedius, S. pneumoniae, Micromonas (P). micros, A. israelii (p < 0.01), A. naeslundii, and P. denticola, whereas S. mutans (p < 0.01) and Lactobacillus uli were detected at higher levels from carious teeth in the 19- to 36-month-old children. Error bars ± standard error of the mean. Level of species detection scale: 1 species detection equivalent to 10⁴ to < 10⁵, 2 equivalent to 10⁵ to < 10⁶, 3 equivalent to 10⁶ bacterial cells. However, no differences within age groups were statistically significant at p 0.0025 (Wilcoxon ranked-sum test), a level accounting for the multiple species comparisons.