By the end of the 60�s, the theory that refined carbohydrates promotes the absorption of saccharolytic Gram-positive microbial species on the tooth surfaces has become generally. Mutans streptococci (Streptococcus mutans and Streptococcus sobrinus) were key players in this theory. On agar plates, Str. mutans produces small, circular colonies, in the presence of glucose, and in the presence of sucrose large, sticky, gelatinous colonies. This gelatinous texture is due to the shell material: mutant 1 � 3 glucose polymers and dextran 1 �! 6 glucose polymers. Str. mutans are able to survive in the oral cavity with a pH lower than 5.5. That is why consecutive multiple sugar intake promotes the colonization of Str. mutans, which results in dental caries in stagnant zones. As oral pH is continuously shifted to acid, more acid-resistant bacteria appear. Our aim was to identify species in infant-mother pair gingival crevicular bacterial flora, which can be detected on high-sucrose culture media and to underline the jeopardy of vertical oral contamination from mother to infant.
Correlation among mutans streptococci counts, dental caries, and IgA to Streptococcus mutans in saliva