Journal of Dental Research, Vol 71, 1776-1784, Copyright © 1992 by International & American Associations for Dental Research Online Journals

ARTICLES

Composition of pooled plaque fluid from caries-free and caries-positive individuals following sucrose exposure

H. C. Margolis and E. C. Moreno
Forsyth Dental Center, Boston, Massachusetts 02115.

The composition of pooled plaque fluid from five population samples was determined before and at selected times (7, 15, 30, and 60 min) after a 10% sucrose rinse. Subjects were grouped according to caries status (caries-free, CF, DMFS = 0; caries-positive, CP, DMFS > 10). Samples were also studied from white-spot surfaces and from sound surfaces of the same mouths of two additional CP groups. Plaque fluid was isolated by centrifugation and analyzed for organic acids, inorganic ions (ion chromatography), and pH (microelectrodes). Prior to sucrose exposure, plaque fluids from the CF subgroups and from sound surfaces of the CP subjects had higher pH values than samples from CP subgroups and from white-spot surfaces, respectively; the ionic compositions were otherwise similar. Starved plaque fluids were also found to be supersaturated with respect to enamel and to a significantly greater degree in the CF samples, suggesting that CF plaque fluid may have a greater remineralization potential than CP samples. Following sucrose exposure, a rapid decrease in plaque fluid pH was observed, which corresponded primarily to lactic acid production. For all times examined, mean pH and DS(En) values were lower and lactic acid concentrations were higher in the CP samples than in the CF samples; noted differences were statistically significant at 7 min for pH and DS(En), and at 7, 15, and 30 min for lactic acid. Lower values of DS(En) suggest that plaque fluid from CP subjects had a measurably greater cariogenic potential.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

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