ACID PRODUCTION IN SALIVA-CARBOHYDRATE MIXTURES

¹ Division of Preventive Dentistry, Tufts College Dental School, Boston, Mass.

The unstimulated saliva of carious people has been incubated at body temperature with various carbohydrate solutions. The acid production in sucrose and starch saliva mixtures has been shown to be comparable to that of glucose. Two pentoses were found to be resistant to salivary action. It has been suggested that the breakdown of sucrose and starch in the mouth may not proceed through glucose but may be brought about by direct phosphorylation. Appreciable acid production has been observed to take place within 15 minutes in mixtures of glucose, sucrose and the concentrated salivary debris of carious persons. Various raw carbohydrates have been shown to be converted to acid by saliva at rates similar to those observed for refined sugars.