Effect of sucrose consumption on level of Streptococcus mutans in saliva.

The aim of the present paper was to study whether sucrose consumption may affect the level of salivary Streptococcus mutans. The study was justified by the disagreement between results of "in vitro", animal and human experiments and results of epidemiological studies made on study-populations. According to experimental research, sucrose availability promotes Streptococcus mutans selection and development in the oral cavity. On the other hand, the results of epidemiological studies run counter to these experiments. In the present study, the main reasons for this disagreement were investigated and identified. From this, an epidemiological study was performed, taking into account these potentially confounding factors. The results show that sucrose consumption is actually able to promote Streptococcus mutans selection and development in the oral cavity, thus increasing the risk of dental caries.