[Occult dentine lesions under a clinically intact enamel surface. A bacteriological investigation]

Dentine samples of teeth from patients with occlusal lesions beneath an apparently intact enamel surface were bacteriologically examined. For this purpose two dentine samples, one from the dentinoenamel junction (A) and one just before all caries appeared to be removed clinically (B), were taken under aseptic conditions. In most cases the A and B samples contained considerable numbers of mutans streptococci and lactobacilli, while the dentine after opening was soft with a light colour. These results suggest that one is dealing with active caries lesions, which should be treated as such. Comparison of the saliva data from the patients group with the saliva data of a control group showed no significant differences concerning the numbers of mutans streptococci, secretion rate and buffer capacity.