Caries 1 Flashcards
what is dental caries?
demineralisation of the mineralised tissues of the teeth
what is the 4 Aetiology things of caries?
tooth time sugar plaque
where does enamel caries happen?
smooth surfaces pits & fissures
what is the first sign of enamel caries?
white spot lesion
Bacteria in the mouth are capable of fermenting sugar to produce acid causing the pH in the mouth to
fall below 5 in 1-3 minutes
repeated falls of ph in the mouth causes ?
demineralisation
The longer that the oral cavity is exposed to sugar the more demineralisation can occur-it takes how many minutes to return to normal pH?
30-60 mins
Progression of Lesions in Dentine can be what colour?
bluish
Progression of Lesions in Dentine is hard and dark if caries is?
slow spreading
if caries in dentine is rapidly spreading what colour may it be
soft cream colour
what does pit and fissure caries look like and what can it lead to?
Small pit surrounded by a white area progressing to an open cavity which can lead to inflammation of the pulp (pulpitis) then lead to a apical access
where is smooth surface caries found?
Can occur on any smooth surface of the tooth, interdentally, along the gingival margin
Initially chalky white area
Gradually roughens
Open cavity
where is Root surface caries found? and who is it most commonly found on?
cementum and dentine only on the root surface of the tooth
Frequently occurs in older people due to gingival recession
what is the Blacks classification of cavities (historical)?
to classify dental caries
what are some different ways you can detect caries?
visual
Radiographs
TTS- temporary tooth seperatin
FOTI – fibre optic transillumination
what are symptoms for caries?
Reversible Pulpitis: evoked by hot, cold, sweet stimuli, disappearing when cause is removed.
Irreversible Pulpitis: pain persists for minutes or hours after removal of the stimulus.
Necrotic pulps are painless.
Other Types of Caries
Recurrent caries
Rampant caries
Nursing caries
Arrested Caries
Which micro-organisms are responsible for the aetiology of dental caries?
Streptococcus Mutans
Lactobacillus Species
Actinomyces Species
what do streptococcus mutants do?
Rapidly metabolise sugars to lactic acid
what can a VIT A deficiency cause in the oral cavity?
changes in both epithelial tissues and salivary glands salivary flow and composition of saliva may be affected
A deficiency of protein during tooth development, may cause what?
may alter tooth structure, possibly increasing caries potential due to deficient mineral content within the tooth structure
Also affects salivary glands, in terms of growth and secretory function
what can a vit D help?
Vit.D can help restrict hypoplasia in the permanent dentition and therefore restrict caries if taken pre-eruptively
what is the composition of diet?
CARBOHYDRATES
FATS
PROTEINS
VITAMINS
MINERALS
WATER
ROUGHAGE
Distinction between the different types of sugars
Intrinsic- NATURAL SUGARS
Food which contains naturally occurring sugars
Extrinsic- LACTOSE
Is thought to be moderately cariogenic on its own..
Non Milk Extrinsic - HIDDEN SUGARS
Food containing sugars which we considered to be “Added sugars”
why is it important that the ADJ is caries free?
so secondary caries cannot happen
