Biofilm I - caries Flashcards
caries is basically
eroision of enamel
erosion is caused by
weak acids
stephen curve
Fermentable carbohydrate consumed can cause pH to drop below critical 5.5 causes demineralisation

what does activity of saliva do to the pH
it has a buffering capacity
helps bring the pH up towards neutral
frequent consumption of fermentable carbohydrate leads to
demineralisation
4 elements need for caries
- Biofilm
- Fermentable carbohydrate
- Tooth
- Saliva - imp in control
microbiology of caries
not one sole microorganism

Ultimately combination of bacteria forming complex plaque will lead to reduction in pH and caries
stages leading to formation of caries
- adhesion
- not washed away by saliva
- survival and growth
- biofilm formation
- complex plaque
- range of species
- acid
- caries

common cariogenic bacteria
streptococcus mutans
linked to high sugar diet
not sole
virulence factors in its favour for strep mutans
- glycolytic systems – ferment carbohydrate in a specific way
- EPS/sucrose metabolism
- extra polymeric material, glucans via sucrose metabolism
- attachment mechanisms (GTF, Ag I/II)
- greater acidogenicity/aciduricity c.f. competitor spp
- Negatively effect other bac
- ecological competitiveness at low pH
- genomic characteristics
- ability to modulate behaviour
- competent systems to update systems

what is key for s.mutans causing caries
sucrose
virulence factors are circumstanstial associations

caries
≠ S.mutans
research activity focussed on it - shouldn’t be on just 1 organism
- window of infectivity
- vaccines
- passive, active, various antigens
- replacement therapy, probiotics
- targeted antimicrobial peptide
how should we target caries
by targeting the factors
fermentable
tooth
microorganism
time
obstacles in determining microbial etiology of caries
varies
different parts of mouth might be different susceptibilities
dynamic process – things happen, changes in amounts of different MO
How many needed to be biologically significant?
Likely have different roles in different individuals at different ages
- Drive for caries still unclear*
- Many factors
- Fermentable carbohydrates clear link to caries*

what is crucial for caries
retentivity of cariogenic foods
frequency of cariogenic foods
e.g. cariogenic foods
not just sucrose
- carbohydrates
- cooked startched - crisps, biscuits, pretzels
‘sticky in hand doesn’t mean sticky in mouth’
what is the issue with retentivity and caries
- linger around - get into fissures
- More likely to be harmful
what could be the impact of interactions of sugars and starches
potential driving lower pH for metabolic processes
cumulative effect?
how should caries research go forward
Modulate whole group of bacteria and look at how they work better
As focus on one – Other MO take its place
how do we know what microbial species is important
hard - abundance? function?
dyanmic - can favour one species but change to favour a different quickly
when do we get mouth microorganisms
very early stage
- Placental MO looks like mothers oral biome
Early colonisers impacted by many things
Diversification pre dentate
- And further by dentate
Early ones critical to what you will be exposed
- Environment will change some MOs
But ultimately what begin with is key role

broader caries aetiology
Hundreds or thousands of microbial species
Wide spectrum of microbial flora assoc. with caries
- Actinomyces, Abiotrophia, Atopobium, Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus and Veillonella, Propionibacterium, Prevotella spp., S. parasanguinis, S. salivarius, S. sobrinus
- Veillonella almost ubiquitous
Subjects with no S. mutans, but with caries
- Mutans-streps presence not predictive of caries
- S mutans does not = caries
- Caries does not mean = s mutans
caries is complex disease how
dynamic
- Primarily predictive by what you eat
- Organisms present to start with and then what environment they are in dictates how they will proliferate when given food source
new molecular methods - looking at diet and microbial aetiology
- diet microflora and caries
- diet and severe early childhood caries
- Bifidobacterium spp, lactobacilli, yeast (& MS)
- conditions to facour S.mutans
- rather than s.mutans as a pre-requisite
- new methodologies created new paradigm
- more complex oral microbial world



