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Current preventive measures against infectious oral diseases are mainly focussed on plaque removal and promoting a healthy lifestyle. This in vitro study investigated a third preventive method: maintaining healthy dental plaque with the use of small molecules. As a model of dental plaque, in vitro biofilms were cultivated under conditions that induce pathogenic characteristics. The effect of erythritol and other small molecules on the pathogenic characteristics and bacterial composition of the biofilm was evaluated. The artificial sweetener erythritol and the molecule 3-Oxo-N-(2-oxycyclohexyl)dodecanamide (3-Oxo-N) had no clinically relevant effect on total biofilm formation. Erythritol did, however, lower the gingivitis related protease activity of the biofilm, while 3-Oxo-N blocked the caries related lactic acid accumulation. Furthermore, both substances ensured the biofilm maintained a young, non-pathogenic microbial composition. This shows it is possible to influence the dental plaque in a positive manner in vitro with the help of small molecules. Further research is necessary before this manipulation of dental plaque can be applied.Huidige preventiemaatregelen tegen orale infectieziekten zijn veelal gericht op verwijdering van tandplaque en het stimuleren van een gezonde leefstijl. In dit in-vitro-onderzoek wordt een derde preventiemethode onderzocht: tandplaque gezond houden met behulp van kleine moleculen. Als model voor tandplaque werden hiervoor in-vitro-biofilms gekweekt onder condities die pathogene eigenschappen induceren. Het effect van erythritol en andere kleine moleculen op pathogene eigenschappen en de microbiële samenstelling van de biofilm werd bestudeerd. De suikervervanger erythritol en het molecuul 3-Oxo-N-(2-oxocyclohexyl)dodecanamine hadden geen klinisch relevant effect op de hoeveelheid gevormde biofilm. Wel verlaagde erythritol de gingivitisgerelateerde proteaseactiviteit van de biofilm, terwijl 3-Oxo-N de cariësgerelateerde lactaatophoping blokkeerde. Daarnaast zorgden beide stoffen ervoor dat de biofilm een jonge, niet-pathogene microbiële samenstelling behield. In vitro kan de samenstelling van tandplaque dus positief worden beïnvloed met behulp van kleine moleculen. Meer onderzoek is nodig voordat deze beïnvloeding van tandplaquesamenstelling in de praktijk kan worden toegepast.

Stevia is a natural, non-caloric sweetener of plant origin. The sweetening power of stevia is several hundred times larger than that of table sugar (sucrose). On the basis of available research, the European Food Safety Authority concluded that stevia is safe for human consumption. Since then, stevia has been approved as a sweetener for the European market. As a substitute for sucrose, stevia can contribute to a reduced caloric intake and can play a role in the prevention and/or treatment of metabolic disorders. In addition, stevia is non-cariogenic and is, moreover, affordable. Promoting the consumption of stevia can therefore be a preventive means of fighting dental caries.Stevia is een natuurlijke, niet-calorische zoetstof van plantaardige oorsprong. De zoetkracht van stevia is enkele honderden malen groter dan die van tafelsuiker (sacharose). Op basis van de beschikbare onderzoeken heeft de Europese Autoriteit voor Voedselveiligheid geconcludeerd dat stevia veilig is voor de gezondheid. Sindsdien is stevia goedgekeurd als zoetstof voor de Europese markt. Als substituut voor sacharose kan stevia bijdragen aan een verminderde calorische inname en een rol spelen bij preventie en/of behandeling van metabole aandoeningen. Daarnaast is stevia niet cariogeen en bovendien betaalbaar. Stimulering van de consumptie van stevia kan daarom een preventief middel zijn in de strijd tegen cariës.

To determine whether there was a connection between the complaint of restless legs and the ingestion of artificial sweeteners in a patient with these symptoms after drinking certain 'light' beverages, a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled N-of-1 trial with a crossover design was used. During a period of 48 days, the patient took 4 capsules per day containing either 150 mg of cyclamate, 22.5 mg of saccharine, both sweeteners, or placebo on two successive days. Between each of these 2-day periods there was a 2-day rest period during which no capsules were taken. The hospital pharmacist had prepared the capsules and determined the sequence of the 2-day periods on a random basis. The patient did not know which capsules he was taking. Every day on arising, starting 3 weeks before the trial period, the patient noted the intensity and duration of the symptoms in the late evening and previous night. For this notation he used an 11-point scale, from 0 (= no restless legs) to 10 (= almost total inability to sleep because of restless legs). A score of 1-3 corresponded to mild symptoms that had no effect on the patient's sleep; at a score of 4-6 his sleep was disturbed and at a score of 7-10 the patient hardly slept at all. The patient had symptoms more often while using saccharine or the combination of saccharine and cyclamate than when taking the placebo (4 and 4 versus 2 of the 6 nights); moreover, the average score was then statistically significantly higher (5.2 and 5.8 versus 3-3). It was concluded that there was a connection between the patient's complaints of restless legs and the use of saccharine, but not the use of cyclamate.

A number of strains of enterococci was isolated from pasteurized meat products. Two variants of Streptococcus faecium (E1 and E20) took part in the present study. Using these organisms, heating tests in suspensions of pork (sealed plastic pouches) were performed. Mixtures of ingredients ('preparation of cooked ham') were added in the majority of experiments. Dextrose was replaced by sorbitol in one experiment, by glycyrrhizin in another. Following thermal treatment at 68.9 degrees C (various heating times), duplicate pouches were incubated at 8 and 37 degrees C. When the mixture of ingredients were added to the meat suspension, thermoresistance of the test strains was found to increase markedly. For E20, D 68.9 degrees C values of 63 and 2.5 min were measured respectively in the systems with or without ingredients (pH 6.3 in both cases). When dextrose was replaced by one or by the two other sweeteners, the levels of thermoresistance did not show any changes. During incubation at 37 degrees C, the surviving cells almost invariably grew to high counts; however similar results were not observed at 8 degrees C. At this temperature a decrease in viable counts during five months' storage was recorded; this was particularly the case with longer periods of heating. On growth of Streptococcus faecium in the presence of dextrose, the pH of the meat suspension decreased from 6.3 to 4.7-4.9. As a result, the residual nitrite fell to very low levels. These phenomena were not observed in the experiments in which dextrose was replaced by the other sweeteners.