Antarctic Isolation And Associated Changes In Salivary Bacteria.

Abstract

Salivary studies were performed in an isolated community of fifty-one subjects during the Antarctic winter. Salivary acidogenesis, as measured by the Snyder Test, decreased significantly. Sustained differences in mean counts determined on media selective for lactobacilli and streptococci were observed as a function of relative levels of outdoor exposure. Differences in lactobacillus counts of indoor and outdoor workers paralleled findings reported in an earlier Antarctic study. Streptococcal growth on mitis salivarius medium had not been heretofore studied in Antarctica and Streptococcus salivarius counts varied inversely with lactobacillus counts. These findings appear to differentially relate to factors of oral health care, diet, environmental exposure and herdimmunity.