Effect of Candy Containing Palatinose on Human Dental Plaque Formation

Abstract

The purpose of this study was evaluate the clinical and microbiological effects candy containing palatinose on human dental plaque formation.
The teeth of fifteen subjects were cleaned by scaling and tooth-brushing preceding the experiment. They were then instructed to take food containing palatinose or sucrose for 3 days without tooth brushing. Thereafter, unstimulated saliva and plaque index scores were collected from all subjects.
The degree of dental plaque accumulation in those subjects who had taken food containing palatinose was significantly less than those on sucrose diet. On the other hand, the number of S. mutans in saliva was not influenced by the contents of palatinose and sucrose in the diet.
These findings thus suggest that palatinose is a low cariogenic sugar substitute for humans.