Serum and Salivary Antibodies to Glucosyltransferase in Dental Caries in Man

RECENT evidence strongly suggests that dental caries is an infective disease caused predominantly by Streptococcus mutans1–3. This organism has two major characteristics responsible for its cariogenicity: first, in the presence of fermentable carbohydrates it is capable of rapidly producing acid to below the pH required for dissolving enamel, and second, the organism produces glucosyltransferase which is a constitutive enzyme responsible for the synthesis of extracellular polysaccharides4. These polysaccharides are glucans which are commonly referred to in the literature as dextran; they form a major component of the bacterial plaque matrix and may be responsible for adhesion of the bacterial plaque to tooth enamel5.