Effects of dietary sucrose levels on the quantity and microbial composition of human dental plaque.

The effects of dietary sucrose levels on the microbial composition of 4- and 12-day plaque were investigated in eight dental students. Sucrose-rich diets had no demonstrable effects on total plaque accumulation, whereas total viable microbial density, Streptococcus mutans, and the lactobacilli populations increased. The S sanguis population was unaffected. However, in individual subjects, an inverse relationship between the S sanguis and S mutans population was observed.