Journal of Dental Research, Vol 67, 861-865, Copyright © 1988 by International & American Associations for Dental Research Online Journals
The relationship between plaque pH, plaque acid anion profiles, and oral carbohydrate retention after ingestion of several 'reference foods' by human subjects
M. W. Dodds and W. M. Edgar
Department of Dental Sciences, School of Dental Surgery, University of Liverpool, England.
The primary aim of this study was to rank several reference foods (apple
drink, caramel, chocolate, cookie, skimmed milk powder, snack cracker, and
wheat flake) according to their plaque pH response as monitored in a panel
of 12 volunteers by the plaque-sampling method for comparison with data
previously reported with other methods used to assess cariogenicity
potential. Secondary experiments (using subsets of the panel of subjects)
were undertaken in an attempt to elucidate some of the reasons for the
observed plaque pH changes. Oral carbohydrate retention was measured at a
single time period after food use as total anthrone-positive carbohydrate
material, and as specific acidogenic sugars by gas-liquid chromatography
after gel-exclusion chromatography. The concentrations of acid anions in
the plaque fluid after food consumption were measured by isotachophoresis
eight min after food use. According to the plaque pH response,
apple-flavored fruit drink and chocolate were the most acidogenic foods and
skimmed milk powder the least acidogenic. There were significant
correlations (p less than 0.05) between the plaque pH data and
lactate-plus-acetate concentrations in plaque fluid, but the correlations
between the pH data and any of the carbohydrate retention parameters were
not significant.
