Lactobacillus Acidophilus Experiment Essay

Introduction In this experiment we are examining Streptococcus Mutans and Lactobacillus Acidophilus which are bacteria found in the mouth. The bacteria Streptococcus Mutans have been seen to have negative effects to the mouth such as tooth decay. Lactobacillus Acidophilus on the other side is seen as a good bacteria and has been used as a probiotic. Both of these bacterias grow within the mouth and can be collected through saliva. Our experiment is to compare the difference between two processes which could potentially lower or increase the amount of each bacteria in the mouth. The question we are determining is, Does chewing 5 gum or sucking on an Ice Breaker mint producing more saliva to reduce the amount of streptococcus mutans and lactobacillus in your mouth? My hypothesis is that chewing 5 gum will produce more saliva therefore reduce

Remaining a constant routine or schedule during the experiment is very difficult to achieve therefore allows for other variables within the procedure that are not intended. Potential sources of error could be eating or drinking too soon before class or at a different time than usual. Forgetting to follow the procedure or irregularly following the procedure could affect the results for the data. In future experiments, I would increase the amount of times the gum and mints are taken to possible have a greater change in the experimental values. Having more participants would create a better average and allowing better results for conclusions. Taking the bacteria count more often than once a week could allow for a better reflection of the line. Overall, many different things which were mentioned could be changed to take away unwanted variables and provide better data for a conclusion to either support or deny our hypothesis of chewing gum removes more MSB and MSR than sucking on a