Caries equation
Bacteria + carbohydrate = acid demineralization
Why can a potato chip be more detrimental to tooth enamel than a teaspoon of sugar?
A potato chip is a cooked starch which is a form of carbohydrate.
Breaks down the starch to a disaccharide which is metabolized by plaque bacteria, resulting in acid production for as longer as the potato chip remains in the mouth..
Salivary amylase
The only taste a human is born craving
Sweetness
Scientists state that the sense of taste was used to determine if plants and animals were safe to eat.
Sweet- safe
Bitter- unsafe
How much sugar does the average American consume per year?
40 pounds
When & where was the relationship between sugar and dental caries discovered??
Discovered as a result of a study conducted from 1945 to 1953, involving 436 residents at a mental institution in Vipeholm, Sweden
There are 6 factors that determine the caries susceptibility of a tooth:
Bacteria Tooth structure Carbs in the diet No fluoride Salivary gland hypofunction Poor oral hygiene
All contribute to enamel demineralization:
Bacteria, carbs, and dry mouth
Remineralizes enamel
Calcium and phosphorus in saliva, fluoride, fluoride toothpaste
The main bacteria involved in caries formation
Streptococcus mutans and lactobacilli
There are six factors that determine the caries susceptibility of a tooth:
Bacteria Tooth structure Carbohydrates No fluoride Salivary gland hypofunction Poor oral hygiene
Contribute to enamel demineralization…
Bacteria, carbohydrates, and dry mouth
Remineralizes enamel
Calcium and phosphate in saliva
Fluoride
Fluoride toothpaste
The main bacteria involved in caries formation
Streptococcus mutans and lactobacilli
Needed to initiate pit and fissure, smooth surface, and root surface decay
S. mutans
Starts the process and takes it to the dental enamel junction
S. mutans
Takes over, extending the lesion into the dentin
Lactobacilli
Less susceptible to dental caries because they do not retain plaque and food as do molars with very deep grooves…
Posterior molars with shallow grooves
Host factors that reduce caries risk:
Teeth with shallow anatomy
Straight teeth
Good pre-eruptive nutrition
Well mineralized newly erupted teeth
What can fats and proteins do to your teeth?
Protective fatty coating, protecting them from sugars eaten later
What does consuming dairy products do to the teeth?
Keeps the saliva rich in calcium and phosphorus; remineralization
Prevents the pH from dropping below 5.5
Cheese eaten after sugar
The most cariogenic of all carbohydrates
Sucrose
The least cariogenic carbohydrate
Starch
What happens if acid byproducts from metabolized carbohydrates or acidic foods drop the normally basic 7 pH of the mouth below the critical pH level of 5.5?
Enamel demineralization begins
Appears as a rough parchment-white spot on the tooth, usually on the gingival 1/3 where plaque accumulates…
Demineralized enamel
There are five different acids that are created when carbohydrates are metabolized by bacteria:
Lactic- most abundant Formic Proprionic Acetic Buturic
The demineralization continues until the pH of the mouth is returned to
7.0
Remineralizes enamel
Ingestion of fluoride, either in food or water, will in crease the fluoride content of saliva
The number one protector of teeth
Saliva
What is saliva saturated with?
Calcium, phosphate, sodium bicarbonate, and proteins
Components of enamel and can repair demineralized areas..
Calcium and phosphate
Has a high pH and can neutralize acids in the mouth that demineralize enamel
Sodium bicarbonate (baking soda)
Multifunction protein in saliva; has a antiviral, bacterial, and fungal properties that reduce and render ineffective caries causing bacteria in plaque
Secretory leukocyte protease inhibitor (SLPI)
Foods are those that do not contribute to initiation of demineralization or continue the caries process..
Cariostatic foods
The alcohol form of xylose and is the most desirable of all sugar substitutes for two reasons:
Bacterial plaque does not metabolize xylitol
Xylitol has the ability to reduce salivary S. mutans in the mouth