Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

My son wanted to see if flossing an rinsing before bed decreases bacteria in mouth by the morning. I read that mouth bacteria is anaerobic an I was wondering if we need a special method to culture these bacteria?
Any other tips would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
Heather

Hi Heather,

This is a great idea for a science project! Your son is obviously thinking about investigating a practical question with a scientific experiment. However, before you buy any supplies, check with your son’s teacher and make sure it’s acceptable to do a microbiology project. Also, read the following information from the Science Buddies Website on doing projects involving potentially hazardous biological agents. Since this project would involve growing potentially hazardous microorganisms, you would not be able to do this project at home. And, since the project due date is close, if you don’t have access to a microbiology lab, I recommend that your son work on a project that uses microorganisms that don’t require approval, such as mold or Baker’s yeast.

https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... ents.shtml

Do you think you could suggest an alternate project to your son that he would be interested in doing? Here are several project ideas from the Science Buddies website that would be an excellent introduction to microbiology for a middle school student.

https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... roBio&dl=5

I didn’t answer your question about growing anaerobic bacteria. If you were to grow anaerobic bacteria, you would use special growth media with reducing agents and incubating the plates in special anaerobic chambers. There are lots of aerobic bacteria in the mouth also, so the experiment could be done with standard growth media exposed to air.

Donna Hardy

Thank you Donna for your quick & detailed reply. I will talk to my son & suggest another subject. He can run it by his teacher to see if the project is acceptable. I will also take a look at the websites you included.
Take care & have a good evening.
Heather