THE MICROBIC FLORA OF BACTERIAL PLAQUES REMOVED FROM CARIOUS AND NONCARIOUS DENTAL ENAMEL

¹ Walter G. Zoller Memorial Dental Clinic and the Department of Bacteriology and Parasitology, University of Chicago, Chicago, Ill.

The results of a preliminary, small series of cultures on bacterial plaques from carious and noncarious enamel are presented and the cultural methods described. Certain nonaciduric microorganisms including some anaerobes are listed as possibly representing the basic flora of the plaque. Of these only alpha-hemolytic streptococci of a smooth colony type were found more frequently in plaques from carious areas than in those from sound enamel. Among the aciduric microorganisms isolated only lactobacilli were recovered with much greater frequency from carious than from noncarious areas but these forms were not found, by the methods used, in all the caries plaque samples studied.