BACTERIOLOGY OF DENTAL PLAQUE FROM A VARIETY OF ZOO-MAINTAINED MAMMALIAN-SPECIES

Supragingival dental plaque was collected from 33 animals representing 22 species in the London Zoo. Each sample was ground and plated on a range of selective and non-selective media to obtain counts of different bacterial species. Between 20 and 40 isolates were stored in freeze-dried culture for identification later. Plaque from the majority of species contained Streptococcus and Actinomyces spp. As these organisms have also been isolated from both primitive and civilized man, it is probable that they are responsible for a basic form of plaque in which other bacterial species become established as a result of pressure from changing external factors. Diet constitutes one such factor. © 1979.