Effects of two potential sucrose-substitute sweetening agents on deposition of an oral streptococcus on glass in the presence of sucrose.

The effects of trichlorogalacto-sucrose (TGS) and xylitol upon deposition by sedimentation of Streptococcus mutans NCTC 10832 were measured in terms of percentage coverage and mean clump size, using computerized image-analysis. The following test solutions were used: sucrose, sucrose plus xylitol, sucrose plus TGS, xylitol, TGS, and saline alone. Xylitol and TGS both significantly reduced the mean clump size of sucrose-incubated cells; TGS also significantly reduced percentage coverage by cells incubated with sucrose. Xylitol and TGS differed significantly from one another regarding their effects upon both percentage coverage and mean clump size of cells incubated in sucrose solution. It was postulated that TGS and xylitol might affect sucrose-associated aggregation of Strep. mutans.