Abstract
We have been proposed the criteria for assessing cariogenic potential of foodstuffs. The criteria derived from four factors, i. e., 1) plaque-forming potential and 2) acid-producing potential as substrate utilized by cariogenic bacteria in the oral cavity, and 3) ingestion time (acting time until swallowing) and 4) clearance time (acting time after swallowing) as the intraoral acting time of substrate.
The purpose of this study was to assess the plaque-forming potential of foods in vitro. The plaque-forming potential was evaluated from the amount of insoluble glucan synthesized in the incubation of foodstuffs with glucosyltransferase of S. mutans 6715 at 37°C for 16 hours. Fourty-two kinds of snack foods, which are commercially available and popular in Japan, were tested. Sugar composition of these foods was also determined. A significant correlation between the amount of insoluble glucan synthesized and the sucrose content was noticed.
These results suggest that plaque-forming potential might be evaluated from the determination of the amount of sucrose in the foods.
However, maltose and maltotriose inhibited insoluble glucan synthesis by 40-50% when (maltose-maltotriose) /sucrose exceeded more than 0.5. This indicates that addition ofmaltose and/or maltotriose to the sweet snacks in a high rate reduced plaque-forming potential of the foods.
