ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The co-aggregation of oral bacteria leads to their clearance from the oral cavity. Poor oral hygiene and high saliva viscosity are common amongst the elderly; thus, they frequently suffer from pneumonia caused by the aspiration of oral microorganisms. OBJECTIVES: To examine the direct effect of saliva viscosity on the co-aggregation of oral streptococci with actinomyces. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifteen oral streptococcal and a single actinomyces strain were used. Co-aggregation was assessed by a visual assay in phosphate buffer and a spectrophotometric assay in the same buffer containing 0-60% glycerol or whole saliva. RESULTS: Nine oral streptococci co-aggregated with Actinomyces naeslundii ATCC12104 in the visual assay and were subsequently used for the spectrophotometric analysis. All tested strains displayed a decrease in co-aggregation with increasing amounts of glycerol in the buffer. The co-aggregation of Streptococcus oralis with A. naeslundii recovered to baseline level following the removal of glycerol. The per cent co-aggregation of S. oralis with A. naeslundii was significantly correlated with the viscosity in unstimulated and stimulated whole saliva samples (correlation coefficients: -0.52 and -0.48, respectively). CONCLUSION: This study suggests that saliva viscosity affects the co-aggregation of oral streptococci with actinomyces and that bacterial co-aggregation decreases with increasing saliva viscosity.
Subject(s)
Actinomyces/physiology , Saliva/physiology , Streptococcus/physiology , Actinomyces/drug effects , Adult , Buffers , Glycerol/administration & dosage , Glycerol/pharmacology , Humans , Microbial Interactions/drug effects , Microbial Interactions/physiology , Middle Aged , Phosphates/chemistry , Saliva/microbiology , Spectrophotometry , Streptococcus/drug effects , Streptococcus anginosus/drug effects , Streptococcus anginosus/physiology , Streptococcus constellatus/drug effects , Streptococcus constellatus/physiology , Streptococcus gordonii/drug effects , Streptococcus gordonii/physiology , Streptococcus intermedius/drug effects , Streptococcus intermedius/physiology , Streptococcus mitis/drug effects , Streptococcus mitis/physiology , Streptococcus mutans/drug effects , Streptococcus mutans/physiology , Streptococcus oralis/drug effects , Streptococcus oralis/physiology , Streptococcus pneumoniae/drug effects , Streptococcus pneumoniae/physiology , Streptococcus sanguis/drug effects , Streptococcus sanguis/physiology , Viscosity , Young AdultABSTRACT
AIM OF THE STUDY: This study was performed to examine the effects of tablets containing an extract of Capparis masaikai Levl. (M-tablets) on enhancing oral moisture. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The moistening effect of M-tablets was examined in 21 healthy subjects aged 25.1+/-2.4 (mean+/-S.D.) years in comparison with control tablets. After sucking tablets, the oral moisture was measured using a saliva wetness tester and a moisture checker. To evaluate the effects of the M-tablets on oral conditions, additional 50 subjects aged 30.6+/-7.5 years were examined. The subjects recorded changes in refreshment, oral moisture, ease in speaking, and taste of water using a visual analog scale (VAS). RESULTS: The L-SALIVO value of the M-tablet increased significantly from 1.83+/-0.17 (mean+/-S.E.M.) at baseline to 3.02+/-0.21 at 15 min (P<0.01). The Mucus((R)) value of the M-tablet also increased from 37.50+/-0.22 at baseline to 38.30+/-0.26 at 15 min (P<0.01). The VAS value for oral moisture increased significantly from 47.4+/-2.0 to 69.6+/-2.2 after taking the M-tablet (P<0.01). The VAS value for taste of water also increased from 50.0+/-1.1 to 66.7+/-3.2 (P<0.01). CONCLUSION: These results suggest that M-tablets are useful for enhancing oral moisture, which leads to improvement of oral conditions.