8/14/2019 Science Focus - Tongue Mapping Aquafresh Science Academy

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The eect o tongue cleaning on thecomplex interaction between thedistribution o bacteria on the tongue,bacterial load and oral malodor hasbeen revealed in research and isdiscussed below.

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bctr th tIn their paper in The Archives of OralBiology(2008), Allaker et al provided

the frst detailed mapping o the tonguesurace in relation to the bacteriaassociated with oral malodor. The studyanalysed the type and load o bacteriapresent in cultures collected rom six areaso the human tongue.

Results showed that:

on the dorsum o the tongue, there wasa trend towards increasing bacterial loadwhen moving rom the anterior to theposterior surace o the tongue

the most heavily colonised tonguesite was the dorsal posterior to thecircumvallate papillae

the relative proportions o bacterialgroup remained similar at each site,with Streptococcus salivarius being

consistently lowest.

To hear Dr Allaker discuss the fndingsrom this study go to the IADR/CEDSymposium section o the AquareshScience Academy website.

Science focuS on...

The large surface area of the

tongue dorsum provides a

unique environment that

promotes accumulation of

microorganisms and oral

debris. It has recently been

shown that there is a direct

relationship between the

distribution of bacteria on

the tongue, bacterial load

and oral malodor.

Tongue mapping

The human tongue

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8/14/2019 Science Focus - Tongue Mapping Aquafresh Science Academy

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rl ldrIn several studies, it has been identifedthat the dorsal posterior o the tonguemakes the primary contribution tooral malodor (summarised in Bordas

et al 2008). However, in the past littleattention has been paid to the areaposterior to the circumvallate papillae(DPCP). In order to investigate this, anorganoleptic assessment using an intensityscale where 0=no malodor and 5=verystrong malodor was perormed. Subjectswere subdivided into those with slight/moderate malodor (intensity score 13) orstrong malodor (intensity score 45). Their

study revealed that:

subjects with strong malodor had higherlevels o total anaerobes, Gram-negative

anaerobes and volatile sulur compound(VSC) producing bacteria recoveredrom the DPCP than those with slight/moderate malodor

total aerobe and Streptococcus salivariusnumbers were higher at the DPCP in

the slight/moderate group than in thestrong malodor group.

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bctrl ldAt the IADR/CED symposium on oralmalodor, Dr Allaker highlighted thatmost odor-causing bacteria are oundbeyond the reach o normal oral hygieneprocedures. To urther investigate this,Bordas et alsArchives of Oral Biologypaper (2008) studied whether tonguecleaning provided an improved method oreducing tongue bacterial load comparedwith tooth brushing.

Ater collecting and analysing sampleso tongue coating beore and ater toothcleaning, they ound that:

tooth brushing alone had no signifcantimpact on tongue bacterial populations

tooth brushing and tongue scrapingconsistently, but modestly, reducedbacterial populations

tooth brushing and thorough tonguecleaning with a high speed aspirationdevice resulted in highly signifcantreductions in bacteria.

Bacterial counts by tongue area(CFU/sample x105)

300

350

250

200

150

100

50

0DA DM DP DPCP LP VP

BacterialcountsCFU/sam

plex105

Tongue area

DA = Dorsal anteriorDM = Dorsal middleDP = Dorsal posteriorDPCP = Dorsal posterior to the

circumvallate papillaeLP = Lateral posteriorVP = Ventral posterior

Total anaerobesTotal aerobesGram-negative anaerobesVSC-producing bacteriaStreptococcus salivarius

Data are presented as meanSE (n=50)

Frthr rdAllaker RP, Waite RD, Hickling J et al. Topographicdistribution of bacteria associated with oralmalodor on the tongue. Arch Oral Biol 2008; 53(suppl 1): S8S12.

Bordas A, McNab R, Staples AM et al. Impactof different tongue cleaning methods on thebacterial load of the tongue dorsum. Arch OralBiol 2008; 53 (suppl 1): S13S18.

For further information visit:www.AquafreshScienceAcademy.com

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