Comparative effects of five chlorosucrose analogues on acidogenicity and adherence of the oral bacterium Streptococcus mutans in vitro.

Standardized Streptococcus mutans suspensions were incubated with five chlorosucrose compounds alone and in the presence of sucrose. Fall in pH was recorded over 4 h. Other experiments used image-analysis techniques to measure deposition by sedimentation from similar test suspensions. In the pH experiments, order of acidogenicity was 1'-chlorosucrose or 4,6,6'-trichlorosucrose greater than 1',6'-dichlorosucrose greater than 6,1',6'-trichlorosucrose. The last two compounds statistically significantly reduced fall in pH from metabolism of endogenous carbohydrate. All the chlorosucroses significantly decreased acidogenicity of sucrose; with 6,1',6'-trichlorosucrose and 4,1',6'-trichlorosucrose terminal pH was approximately 1 unit higher than with sucrose alone. In the deposition experiments, all chlorosucroses except 1',6'-dichlorosucrose decreased deposition in the presence of sucrose after either 30 min or 4 h incubation. The greatest reduction in deposition in the presence of sucrose after 4 h was with 6,1',6'-trichlorosucrose or 1'-chlorosucrose.