Nail biting is a common oral habit, prevalent among children and some young adults. The main sequele of chronic nail biting is the transportation of germs from hands to mouth and vice versa leading to the autoinnoculation of the pathogens. E coli is the most frequently encountered pathogen in clinical microbiology and potent enough to cause infections in almost all parts of the body. Aims: To compare the prevalence of Enterobacteriacae members in the oral cavity of chronic nail biters and

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... il biters, isolation and identification of Enterobacteriacae from the saliva samples of both groups and to study the antibiotic susceptibility pattern of the isolates. Methods: 100 saliva samples from each group,chronic nail biters and non-nail bitters were tested. Results: In the test group, Enterobacteriacae was detected in 58 of 100 subjects (58%) and among the 58 positive samples, 27 samples yielded single type of growth and 31 samples of mixed growth suggestive of Enterobacteriacae along with normal flora. In the mixed growth pattern 23 samples were of two type of colonies and 10 samples of three types of colonies. In the control group only 16 subjects exhibited the presence of Enterobacteriacae (16%). The prevalence of enterobactereacea in chronic nail biters and nonnail biters were compared using Pearson chi-square test. Conclusion: The results of the study indicate that there is a significant difference in the prevalence of Enterobacteriaceae between subjects with and without a nail biting habit. Hence it can be considered that chronic nail biters have a higher contamination risk and can result in debilitating systemic diseases.