Cariology Flashcards
What are dental caries?
An infectious microbiologic disease of the teeth resulting in localized dissolution and destruction of calcified tissue
What are the elements of caries formation?
- teeth
- streptococcus mutans (bacteria)
- substrate (carbohydrate)
What kind of disease is caries?
multifactorial
What are the different types of bacteria in the mouth?
◦ Steptococcus mutans
◦ Streptococcus sanguis
◦ Streptococcus mitis (normal flora)
◦ Bacteroides melaninogenicus
What bacteria type is associated with periodontal disease?
Bacteroides melaninogenicus
What bacterial type is a normal flora and is meant to slow the growth of strep mutans?
Streptococcus mitis
What is the pH at which enamel begins to demineralize?
5.5
What is the pH that dentin demineralizes at?
6.2
pH remains below 5.5 for _____ minutes after each sugar exposure
20-60 minutes
Enamel is ______ than dentin
stronger (requires higher acidity than dentin)
What is the preferred type of carb for streptococci mutans?
sucrose
What is the epidemology for caries?
-Younger children (2-8yrs) have had minor decrease in caries prevalence
-Caries prevalence has remained constant for older children
-Minority youth still most at risk for caries
-Lower income youth still most at risk for caries
Where are the three sites for caries initiation?
- pit and fissure
- smooth surface (interproximal or near gingiva)
- root surface
What are the clinical features of caries?
- smooth surface cavitated
- occlusal caries
- interproximal caires (use radiographs)
- root surface caries
Are white spot lesions caries or not?
noncavitated