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Evidence for xylitol 5‐P production in human dental plaque
Author(s) -
Waaler Sonni Mette
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
european journal of oral sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.802
H-Index - 93
eISSN - 1600-0722
pISSN - 0909-8836
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0722.1992.tb01742.x
Subject(s) - xylitol , dental plaque , streptococcus mutans , chemistry , sugar alcohol , bacteria , microbiology and biotechnology , polyol , dentistry , biochemistry , food science , sugar , medicine , biology , fermentation , organic chemistry , polyurethane , genetics
The Turku sugar studies indicated that xylitol may possess a caries‐therapeutic effect. More recent data show that xylitol exhibits a bacteriostatic activity on a wide range of bacteria based on uptake and expulsion of xylitol. Intracellular xylitol 5‐P appears to be a key substance associated with inhibition of bacterial metabolism by xylitol. This has been shown in studies with pure strains of bacteria, mainly Streptococcus mutans . The aim of the present study was to examine if production of xylitol 5‐P occurs in freshly collected dental plaque which is exposed to labeled xylitol. Plaque extracts were analyzed by thin‐layer chromatography combined with autoradiography and high performance liquid chromatography. Strong indications were obtained that xylitol 5‐P is readily produced by dental plaque. No other significant xylitol metabolites were identified. The bacteriostatic properties of xylitol in plaque are a mechanism which may well account for the caries‐therapeutic effect of xylitol.