Page 252 - My FlipBook

224 THE MICRO-ORGANISMS OF THE HUMAN MOUTH.

kinds of foods and luxuries play vastly different roles in the
fermentations of the human mouth must be apparent to every
one from the tal)le given on pages 208, 209.
The substances which give rise to fermentation in the mouth
L-
accompanied by the development of acid, belong almost without
exception to tlie group of the carbohydrates. The general
o[»inion that putref)'ing meat gives rise to products which attack
the teeth is, I repeat it, entirely unfounded and erroneous. The
products of a putrefs'ing mixture of saliva and meat (whether
cooked or raw) are always alkaline, and when meat has remained
for some time between the teeth it may even act as a preventive
to decay in so far as it tends to neutralize the acids produced
by the fermentations of carbohydrates. The hitter, however,
are, as a rule, unless the albuminous sul)stances })reponderate to
a great degree, more than sufficient to satisfy the basic products
of the albuminous fermentation (putrefaction), so that in case of
mixed diet the reaction will still l)e acid, not so strongly, how-
ever, as in purely amylaceous diet.
Most authors give sugar the chief place among those foods
which exert an injurious action upon the teeth—again a concep-
tion which is not quite right. It is true that the constant breath-
ing in of sugar-dust exerts a very destructive etlect upon the
front teeth in particular, known as sugar-decay (Zuckercaries).
In general, however, the chief role in the production of decay is
performed l)y bread, potatoes, etc., not only because they produce
more acid, but l^ecause they, on account of their insolubility,
may remain for a long time sticking to or l)etween the teeth,
whereas the readily soluble sugar is soon dihited or carried
away. In my opinion, sugar can equal bread in its destructive
action upon the teeth only when it is consumed as an ingre-
dient of sticky, insoluble substances.
N'aturally, we cannot think of making the attempt to banish
the carbohydrates from the list of the foods and luxuries of
civilized races ; but we may accomplish a 5;reat deal for the
teetlr if we prevent the constant and unnecessary consumption
of SAveets, etc., indulged in b}- many young and not a few^ adult
persons.