Carbohydrate composition of dental plaque from primates with irradiation caries.

Carbohydrate analyses were performed on dental plaque collected from the teeth of irradiated monkeys, non-irradiated monkeys and a group of Streptococcus mutans free animals, all of which were fed the same standard cariogenic diet. Glucose was the predominant sugar constituent in plaque and was detected in highest concentration in the irradiated animals. Small amounts of pentoses and other hexoses were also present. Plaque from irradiated animals contained, by comparison with the other groups, higher levels of Strep. mutans and lower levels of Streptococcus sanguis and Actinomyces.