FIG 5.

S. mutans shows a higher hydrophobicity and coaggregation capacity than S. sanguinis and S. gordonii. Overnight cultures of S. sanguinis (A), S. gordonii (B), and S. mutans (C) were diluted 1:10 in e-cig-pretreated medium and grown for 24 h. Chloroform was added to each condition, and after incubation, the aqueous layer was collected and OD₆₀₀ was measured. The data are means and SEM) (n = 3) for three biological replicates. Groups were compared to controls using one-way ANOVA (Dunnett’s correction). *, P < 0.05; ****, P < 0.0001. (D) Bright-field microscopy of crystal violet-stained 1-h cocultures (MOI, 10) of oral epithelial cells (OKF6) with S. sanguinis, S. gordonii, and S. mutans. Magnification, ×40.