TABLE 2.

Initial adhesion forces, F_{max(t = 0)}, and after bond strengthening, F_max, as measured during retraction of bacterium-coated AFM cantilever away from salivary conditioning films or BSA coatings together with the characteristic time constants, τ, of the strengthening process^a

Bacterial strain	Protein coating	Fmax(t = 0) (nN)	Fmax (nN)	τ
A. naeslundii T14V-J1	Saliva	−1.3	−6.1	83
	BSA	−0.2	−1.3	66
S. mitis ATCC 9811	Saliva	−1.2	−8.4	17
	BSA	−0.3	−1.3	5
S. mutans NS	Saliva	−0.5	−4.4	51
	BSA	−0.4	−2.5	38
S. oralis J22	Saliva	−0.5	−2.9	26
	BSA	−0.2	−1.3	16
S. sanguinis ATCC 10556	Saliva	−0.5	−3.3	30
	BSA	−0.3	−1.9	18
S. sobrinus HG1025	Saliva	−0.4	−3.5	28
	BSA	−0.1	−1.3	11

^aAll data were based on 15 force curves taken from three independent bacterial cultures of each strain, yielding a mean SD of 30%, 20%, and 50% for F_{max(t = 0)} and after bond strengthening F_max and τ, respectively.