| H01331 | |
| H number | H01331 |
| Name | Dental caries; Dental decay |
| Description | Dental caries occurs due to demineralization of enamel and dentine (the hard tissues of the teeth) by organic acids formed by bacteria in dental plaque through the anaerobic metabolism of sugars derived from the diet. The 2 primary bacteria involved in caries formation are mutans streptococci and lactobacilli. When sugars or other fermentable carbohydrates are ingested, the resulting fall in dental plaque pH caused by organic acids increases the solubility of calcium hydroxyapatite in the dental hard tissues and demineralization occurs as calcium is lost from the tooth surface. The pH at which demineralization occurs is often referred to as the critical pH and is approximately 5.5. |
| Category | Bacterial infectious disease |
| Network | - |
| Gene | - |
| Pathogen | Streptococcus mutans [GN:smu smc smut smj] Cryptobacterium curtum [GN:ccu] Lactobacilli |
| Env factor | - |
| Carcinogen | - |
| Drug | Sodium fluoride [DR:D00943] Stannous fluoride [DR:D05919] Sodium fluoride and phosphoric acid [DR:D08736] |
| Comment | - |
| Other DBs | ICD-11: DA08.0 ICD-10: K02 MedlinePlus: 001055 MeSH: D003731 |
| Reference | PMID:14972061 AUTHORS Moynihan P, Petersen PE TITLE Diet, nutrition and the prevention of dental diseases. JOURNAL Public Health Nutr 7:201-26 (2004) DOI:10.1079/PHN2003589 PMID:14522753 AUTHORS Touger-Decker R, van Loveren C TITLE Sugars and dental caries. JOURNAL Am J Clin Nutr 78:881S-892S (2003) DOI:10.1093/ajcn/78.4.881S PMID:20331803 AUTHORS Piwat S, Teanpaisan R, Thitasomakul S, Thearmontree A, Dahlen G TITLE Lactobacillus species and genotypes associated with dental caries in Thai preschool children. JOURNAL Mol Oral Microbiol 25:157-64 (2010) DOI:10.1111/j.2041-1014.2009.00556.x |