RESUMO
This study aimed to examine the inhibitory effect of rare sugars on Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans) in the presence of sucrose. Xylitol and three rare sugars (D-xylose, D-lyxose and D-mannose) were used in this study. S. mutans KCTC 3065 was cultured in Brain Heart Infusion (BHI) medium containing xylitol, D-xylose, D-lyxose, or D-mannose in the presence of sucrose, and the effect on S. mutans growth was assessed by measuring solution turbidity at different time points after inoculation. To assess effects on pH, sucrose was added at different concentrations, and solution pH was measured at different time points after inoculation. All sugars significantly inhibited the growth of S. mutans in the presence of sucrose. Especially, D-lyxose and D-mannose exhibited significantly greater inhibition than that of xylitol. Furthermore, unlike D-lyxose, D-mannose significantly inhibited the decrement of pH, and its effect was greater than that of xylitol. Taken together, D-mannose has strong inhibitory effect on S. mutans in the presence of sucrose.