Comparison Among a Dip-slide Test (Dentocult®), Plate Count, and Snyder Test for Estimating Number of Lactobacilli in Human Saliva

Abstract

Saliva samples from 120 individuals were cultured by three methods: (a) Dentocult, incubated four d at 37°C or six d at room temperature, (b) SL agar technique, and (c) Snyder test. In a supplementary study with 77 subjects, and comparing only the two former methods, the incubation time with Dentocult at room temperature was prolonged to nine d. The authors also studied whether the number of lactobacilli was influenced by storage time, transport medium, and sampling time of day.