Caries Causation (Tut1)

Question 1

What is dental caries? What is a sign of a
pathophysiologic event called?

Answer 1

Tooth decay is tooth rot.
The scientific name for tooth decay is dental caries.
The word caries is from Latin and means rottenness.

Also referred to as lesions which can be classified.

Question 2

What is an active and arrested lesion?

Answer 2

An active lesion is one that is progressing due to continuing disease activity.
An arrested lesion is a remaining ‘scar’ following successful treatment to bring the disease into remission (often end up brown or black)

Question 3

What are the 4 specific risk factors for dental
caries?

Answer 3

1. dental plaque containing cariogenic
   bacteria (in bigger numbers than usual)
2. dietary sucrose
3. insufficient Fluoride
4. insufficient saliva

Question 4

How do cavities develop in teeth?

Answer 4

• Dental caries is a non-communicable, bacterial-
  associated, and lifestyle- associated disease.
• Colonies of bacteria located in a biofilm – dental
  plaque – adhere to tooth surfaces.
• The ecology of the oral cavity is changed when
  exposures to sugar occur frequently resulting in an
  upset of the balance between health and disease.