The Evanston Dental Caries Study. XXIII. Oral Lactobacilli and Decayed Tooth Surface Rates among Children in a Fluoridated Area

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Abstract
The 1946-1956 data reveal that as the number of carious tooth surfaces increase from zero to eleven or more the percentage of negative L. acidophilus colony counts decrease and that the number of colonies per individual member of each group increases. Conversely, as the size of the colony count increases the number of carious surfaces tend to increase. A negative L. acidophilus count does not definitely indicate an absence of caries activity. The L. acidophilus counts are influenced by the intensity of caries attack as well as the number of open lesions. These data show fluoridation will result in a substantial reduction in the untreated carious tooth surface rate and the number of L. acidophilus colonies.