THE BACTERIAL FLORA IN DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE MOUTH

¹ Division of Dental Research, School of Medicine and Dentistry, The University of Rochester, Rochester, N. Y.

In 276 smear counts a comparison was made of the percentage occurrence of basic morphological groups of bacteria occurring in material obtained from 10 different parts of the mouth.

Little uniformity was found in the distribution of organisms in any of the individual areas studied.

Marked or constant differences could not be established between the flora in different sites, but increased percentages of one or another group of organisms were sometimes noted.

It is suggested that it might be possible to establish more definite differences if a more detailed classification of organisms was used, if samples from different sites could be separated more completely, if a more exact clinical differentiation of mouths was possible, and if probable variations occurring in flora from time to time could be taken into account.