[Non-cariogenicity of maltitol in vitro and animal experiments].

The caries inducing activity of maltitol was examined in in vitro and animal experiments. Fifteen strains of oral streptococci were not able to ferment maltitol. Also, maltitol inhibited the glucan synthesis from sucrose by GTases from mutans streptococci. However, the inhibition of growing-cell adherence was not so marked with the addition of maltitol to sucrose culture. In the animal experiments, maltitol did not induced dental caries in rats infected with mutans streptococci. Furthermore, maltitol significantly inhibited the sucrose-induced dental caries in rats infected with S. sobrinus 6715. However, there was no significant difference in rats infected with S. mutans MT8148R. These results indicated that maltitol is useful as a non-cariogenic sucrose substitute.