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Cavities/Dental Caries
Published in Charles Theisler, Adjuvant Medical Care, 2023
A buildup of food and bacteria forms a film called plaque on the teeth. Tooth decay, also known as dental caries or cavities, occurs when bacterial acids in the plaque digest carbohydrates (sugars and starches) left on the teeth. Over time these same acids can dissolve the surface of the tooth causing holes, called cavities, in the enamel and dentin. It is possible to prevent a cavity when decay has made holes in a tooth’s enamel but has not yet reached the dentin. Tooth decay is influenced by what we eat and drink and how well we take care of our teeth. If tooth decay is not treated, it can cause pain, infection, and tooth loss.
Treatment Planning
Published in M S Duggal, M E J Curzon, S A Fayle, K J Toumba, A J Robertson, Restorative Techniques in Paediatric Dentistry, 2021
M S Duggal, M E J Curzon, S A Fayle, K J Toumba, A J Robertson
For the restoration of primary and young adult teeth, the extent of dental caries must be known. A clinical examination with a dental mirror and good lighting is required, with a dry field. The presence of all carious lesions and restorations must be recorded on a suitable dental chart. If available, transillumination is also helpful.
The administration of medicines to children
Published in Evelyne Jacqz-Aigrain, Imti Choonara, Paediatric Clinical Pharmacology, 2021
Evelyne Jacqz-Aigrain, Imti Choonara
Sucrose is a common and useful sweetener used to disguise poor taste. It can cause dental caries in long term use if dental hygiene is poor [7–9]. Aspartame is commonly used as an alternative but is a source of phenylalanine unsuitable for some patients with phenylketonuria [10]. Sorbitol and mannitol may induce diarrhoea in large amounts [11] whilst lactose (a common bulking agent) may not be tolerated in lactase deficiency, for example following severe gastroenteritis.
Exploring the biomedical potential of a novel modified glass ionomer cement against the pandrug-resistant oral pathogen Candida albicans SYN-01
Published in Journal of Oral Microbiology, 2023
Nessma A. El Zawawy, Samy El-Safty, El-Refaie Kenawy, Sara Ibrahim Salem, Sameh S. Ali, Yehia A.-G. Mahmoud
Dental caries is a multifactorial disease caused by a variety of factors, including cariogenic microorganisms, a high carbohydrate intake, poor oral hygiene, malnutrition, and a low socioeconomic status [1,2]. Dental caries is caused by the demineralization of the hard tissues, which leads to the destruction of the organic matter of the tooth, which is frequently caused by acid production by oral microorganisms. The acidic environment may be caused by metabolic end products of dental plaque, which are typically organic acids produced through carbohydrate fermentation [3–6]. Streptococci and Lactobacilli were thought to be the primary causative agents of human dental caries [7–11]. Numerous studies have recently implicated other oral microbiota, primarily acidogenic and aciduric microorganisms, in dental decay [7,10,12,13]. Candida yeast is also included in this newly proposed cariogenic microbiota [8,14–20]. Due to its virulence and pathogenicity, Candida, despite being considered commensal, can cause serious opportunistic infections. The presence of Candida albicans in the oral cavity should be considered as a risk factor for dental caries [21], as one study found that the oral cavity of children with healthy teeth is almost devoid of Candida albicans [22].
Streptococcus mutans-associated bacteria in dental plaque of severe early childhood caries
Published in Journal of Oral Microbiology, 2022
Yixin Zhang, Jiakun Fang, Jingyi Yang, Xiaolei Gao, Liying Dong, Xuan Zheng, Liangjie Sun, Bin Xia, Na Zhao, Zeyun Ma, Yixiang Wang
Dental caries is a prevalent chronic disease, resulting from the demineralization of tooth tissues caused by acids produced from the bacterial fermentation of dietary carbohydrates. To date, dental caries remains a significant public health challenge. In 2017, the age-standardized prevalence of caries in deciduous teeth was 7.8%, while the number of prevalent cases reach to 532 million [1]. Early childhood caries (ECC) is defined as the presence of one or more noncavitated or cavitated lesions, caries-caused missing or filled surfaces, in any primary tooth of a child under six years old [2]. Early childhood caries (ECC) can cause serious oral problem as well as general health, including mouth pain and dental abscesses, impaired nutrition status, sleep disturbances [3,4]. Severe ECC (SECC) is an aggressive form of ECC. Based on the definition of SECC by the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD), children aged 3–5 years who have one or more cavitated lesions, caries-caused missing or filled smooth surface in primary teeth or decayed, missing or filled surfaces greater than or equal to four (age of 3), five (age of 4) or six (age of 5) are diagnosed as SECC patients. It occurs earlier in life, with more incidence and affects children growth, even physical and psychological health of the subjects during their whole lifespan [5].
Effect of pH-sensitive nanoparticles on inhibiting oral biofilms
Published in Drug Delivery, 2022
Xinyu Peng, Qi Han, Xuedong Zhou, Yanyan Chen, Xiaoyu Huang, Xiao Guo, Ruiting Peng, Haohao Wang, Xian Peng, Lei Cheng
Dental caries is associated with orofacial pain and, when untreated, can lead to tooth loss and systemic infection (Kabani et al., 2020; Liang et al., 2020). Dental caries is a dynamic pathological process dependent on the presence of complex polymicrobial biofilms known as dental plaque (Takahashi & Nyvad, 2011). When the microbial ecological balance is disrupted, pathogenic bacteria produce acid from food particles aggregated on the tooth surface through a fermentation process, promoting tooth demineralization (Simon-Soro & Mira, 2015; Hajishengallis et al., 2017). Streptococcus mutans, considered the major etiologic factor of dental caries, is an opportunistic oral pathogen that resides in the multispecies biofilm (Kuramitsu, 1993). It can rapidly colonize tooth surfaces and establish cariogenic biofilms with extracellular polysaccharides (EPS) (Guo et al., 2016; Wang & Ren, 2017). This bacterial species can ferment sugars to produce acid and acidify the local microenvironment (Hamada & Slade, 1980). As a result, there is a steep fall in pH in dental plaque, leading to the demineralization of the tooth enamel and the development of tooth decay (Khara et al., 2018). Previous research has proved that the pH at active caries sites can be approximately 4.5–5.5 (Bowen, 2013). Therefore, it is crucial to prevent and treat early carious lesions.