Abstract
The present study examined whether acids were produced in media enriched with palatinose, palatinit, erythritol and maltitol by bacterial strains isolated from the dental plaque of children. Out of 146 bacteria isolated from 3 children as predominant bacteria, 95 strains (65%) were identified as Actinomyces, which constituted the major portion of isolates. Among these 146 bacteria, 48 strains (33%) degraded palatinose, 17 strains (12%) degraded palatinit, 2 strains degraded erythritol and none degraded maltitol. Most palatinose-degrading bacteria were Actinomyces. The present study clearly demonstrated that dental plaque contained a significant number (33%) of bacteria which to degraded palatinose to acids, while other sugar substitutes, i. e., palatinit, erythritol and maltitol, categorized as sugar alcohols, were not degraded by the predominant bacteria.
