A Study of Streptococcus Salivarius and Its Relationship to the Dental Caries Process

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Abstract
The possible role of S. salivarius as one of the factors in the initiation of dental caries was investigated. Isolates were made from saliva specimens employing a sucrose medium which made identification easy because of the mucoid colonies which are formed. Growth of purified isolates in various carbohydrate broths confirmed that the bacteria were typical S. salivarius. This was further supported by evidence from stained prepns. Quantitatively, the occurrence of the organism in saliva was significant when correlated with the number of decayed, missing and filled teeth. Several of the isolates when inoculated into carbohydrate media containing sterile, freshly extracted teeth, produced a change in the tooth structure not unlike caries in vivo. Over a 48-hr. period about 50% of the sugar had been consumed by S. salivarius, 0.5% lactic acid was produced, and a pH in the range 4.2-4.8 reached.