Open AccessCariogenic Bacteria as Biomarkers for Sugar Intake
Author(s) -
Vågstrand Karin E.,
Birkhed Dowen
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
nutrition reviews
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.958
H-Index - 150
eISSN - 1753-4887
pISSN - 0029-6643
DOI - 10.1111/j.1753-4887.2007.tb00288.x
Subject(s) - sugar , bacteria , saliva , food science , confounding , streptococcus mutans , medicine , biology , physiology , genetics
Cariogenic bacteria (lactobacilli and mutans streptococci) in saliva are possible biomarkers for sugar intake. We evaluated the strength of the evidence for an association between sugar intake and the two groups of bacteria, and concluded that there is a limited to moderately scientific basis for this association. Because of many confounding factors, bacteria counts can never be used as a precise measurement of sugar intake, but might still be useful on a group level.