Dental Plaque
The bacteria colonization of tooth surface begins with the initial colonization of the pellicles or organic covering (the natural defence mechanism of teeth) by a few species of Streptococcus (e.g., S. sangius, S. sobrinus, S. oralis, S. gordonii, S, mutans and S. mitis). The bacteria selectively adhere to the pellicle and once the tooth surface is colonized, subsequent attachment of other bacteria takes place by coaggregation. The latter is the result of cell-to-cell recognition between genetically distinct bacteria through the interaction between lectin on one bacterium and a complementary carbohydrate receptor on the other. The most important bacteria at this stage are Actinomyces viscosus macroenvironment of the oral cavity