The Effect of Sodium Fluoride on the Metabolism of Oral Lactobacilli.

Abstract

Summary1. Of 11 strains of lactobacilli tested, all were reduced in their ability to produce acid by the addition of 1 and 100 p.p.m. of NaF. Resistance to the action of fluoride on acid production varied among strains.2. Continued exposure to 100 p.p.m. NaF lowered the ability of an actively acidogenic strain of lactobacilli to produce acid from glucose. This reduced acidogenic activity continued even in the absence of NaF. One p.p.m. of NaF had no demonstrable effect.3. One hundred p.p.m. NaF inhibited the dehydrogenases of lactobacilli for 8 out of 9 substrates. The inhibition by 1 p.p.m. was much less.