The Effect of Previous Diet on Plaque pH Response to Different Foods

Abstract

In this study we investigated the effect of previous diet on the response of plaque pH to three test foods. The study population consisted of 11 dental students. Plaque pH was measured, by means of the touch electrode method, on the first two upper molars. The study was conducted at two sessions, one week apart. Subjects followed a 48-hour high-sugar diet before the first test session and a 48-hour low-sugar diet before the second test session. During both 48-hour periods, students refrained from all oral hygiene practices and fluoride utilization. At each session, three foods were ingested at one-hour intervals : cola, beer, and chocolate bar. pH measurements at baseline and at selected times after food ingestion were recorded and analyzed. Multivariate analysis of variance revealed significant independent effects of food, previous diet, and their interaction on plaque pH. After the same foods were ingested, plaque pH response after a previous high-sugar diet was significantly more acidic than after a previous low-sugar diet.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Bagramian, R.A. ; Jenny, J. ; Frazier, P.J. ; and Proshek, J.M. (1974): Diet Patterns and Dental Caries in Third Grade U.S. Children, Community Dent Oral Epidemiol 2:208-213.

Bibby, B.G. ; Mundorff, S.A. ; Zero, D.T. ; and Almekin-Der, K.J. (1986): Oral Food Clearance and the pH of Plaque and Saliva, J Am Dent Assoc 112:333-337.

De Stoppelaar, J.D. ; Van Houte, J. ; and Backer Dirks, O. (1970): The Effect of Carbohydrate Restriction on the Presence of Streptococcus mutans, Streptococcus sanguis, and Idiopathic Polysaccharide-producing Bacteria in Human Dental Plaque, Caries Res 4:114-123.

Dodds, M.W.J. and Edgar, W.M. (1986): Effects of Dietary Sucrose Levels on Plaque pH Fall and Acid-anion Profile in Human Dental Plaque after a Starch Mouth-rinse , Arch Oral Biol 31:509-512.

Edgar, W.M. (1985): Prediction of the Cariogenicity of Various Foods , Int Dent J 35:190-194.

Firestone, A.R. (1982): Human Interdental Plaque-pH Data and Rat Caries Tests. Results with the Same Substances, J Dent Res 61:1130-1136.

Harper, D.S. ; Abelson, D.C. ; and Jensen, M.E. (1986): Human Plaque Acidity Models, J Dent Res 65 (Spec Iss):1503-1510. Kleinberg, I. (1978): Prevention and Dental Caries, J Prev Dent 5:9-19.

Kleinberg, I. ; Chatterjee, R. ; and Denepitiya, L. (1983): Effects of Saliva and Dietary Eating Habits on the pH and Demineralisation-Remineralisation Potential of Dental Plaque. In: Remineralisation of the Teeth, S.A. Leach and W.M. Edgar , Eds., Washington, DC: Information Retrieval, pp. 25-50.

Meurman, J.H. ; Rytomaa, I. ; Kari, K. ; Laakso, T. ; and Murtomaa, H. (1987): Salivary pH and Glucose after Consuming Various Beverages, Including Sugar-containing Drinks, Caries Res 21:353-359.

10.

Newbrun, E. (1982a): Criteria of Cariogenicity for Labeling Foods , J Am Dent Assoc 105:627-630.

11.

Newbrun, E. (1982b): Sucrose in the Dynamics of the Carious Process , Int Dent J 32:13-23.

12.

Nikiforuk, G. (1985): Understanding Dental Caries 1.Etiology and Mechanisms , Basel:Karger, pp. 72-80.

13.

Rugg-Gunn, A.J. ; Edgar, W.M. ; and Jenkins, G.N. (1981): The Effect of Altering the Position of a Sugary Food in a Meal Upon Plaque pH in Human Subjects, J Dent Res 60:867-872.

14.

Schachtele, C.F. and Jensen, M.E. (1982): Comparison of Methods for Monitoring Changes in the pH of Human Dental Plaque, J Dent Res 61:1117-1125.

15.

Schachtele, C.F. and Jensen, M.E. (1984): Can Foods be Ranked According to Their Cariogenic Potential? In: Cariology Today , B. Guggenheim , Ed., Basel: Karger, pp. 136-146.

16.

Schachtele, C.F. (chair)(1986): Working Group Consensus Report : Human Plaque Acidity, J Dent Res 65 (Spec Iss):1530-1531.

17.

Scheffe, H. (1959): The Analysis of Variance, New York:John Wiley & Sons, pp. 87-104.

18.

Staat, R.H. ; Gawronski, T.H. ; Cressey, D.E. ; Harris, R.S. ; and Folke, L.E.A. (1975): Effects of Dietary Sucrose Levels on the Quantity and Microbial Composition of Human Dental Plaque, J Dent Res 54:872-880.

19.

Stephan, R.M. (1944): Intra-Oral Hydrogen-Ion Concentrations Associated with Dental Caries Activity, J Dent Res 23:257-266.

20.

Winer, B.J. (1971): Statistical Principles in Experimental Design , 2nd ed., New York: McGraw-Hill, pp. 514-539.