Composition of the salivary microflora during habitual consumption of fluoridated milk

Abstract

The aim was to evaluate the effect of habitual consumption of fluoridated milk on the composition of the salivary microflora. The study group comprised 20 healthy schoolchildren and young adults with a mean age of 13.6 years and the investigation had a randomized double-blind crossover design with a washout period of 1 month. After professional tooth-cleaning at baseline, the subjects were supplied with either fluoridated (250 mL, 5 ppm F) or non-fluoridated milk for one daily intake during a period of 4 weeks. Salivary samples were collected immediately before tooth-cleaning and after 1, 2, and 4 weeks, respectively. The samples were immediately cultivated for total viable counts, oral streptococci, mutans streptococci, lactobacilli, and actinomyces spp. Bacterial counts were logarithmically transformed before statistical evaluation using ANOVA. No significant alterations of the salivary microflora were found during any of the milk regimens compared with baseline. There was a slight reduction in the proportion of mutans streptococci after 2 and 4 weeks during consumption with fluoridated milk but the difference failed to reach statistical significance. In conclusion, this study was unable to disclose any significant alteration of the composition of the salivary microflora following daily intake of fluoridated milk.