Dental Caries And Its Effects

The prevention of caries is accomplished through the execution of a variety of measures, such as the fluoridation of the drinking water supply as well as the utilization of sealants and topical fluorides (Mouradian, Wehr, and Crall 2625). Despite the ease of preventability of tooth decay, it is one of the most common childhood chronic diseases, with more than half of the nation’s children having detectable caries (Mouradian, Wehr, and Crall 2625). Unfortunately, only 62% of water supplies are fluoridated, and underserved communities with low-income and minority families are usually the ones who are disproportionately affected (Mouradian, Wehr, and Crall 2626). Low-income individuals are generally less likely to seek preventative care, increasing their costs of neglected oral diseases and morbidity factors (Mouradian, Wehr, and Crall 2626). In addition, only one in five children who are covered by Medicaid are authorized for preventative oral healthcare, while restorative care is generally not even a consideration (Mouradian, Wehr, and Crall 2625).

The most important cariogenic bacteria are Streptococcus mutans. Other cariogenic bacteria include S. salivarius and S. sanguis as well as various species of Eikenellan and Lactobacillus. Dental caries is a disease of the tooth enamel and the tooth itself, while periodontal disease is a combination of gum swelling and erosion of the ligaments and bone that supports the teeth. Mildest form of periodontal disease is gingivitis, while the most severe form is called acute necrotizing ulcerative gingivitis also known as trench mouth. Poor oral hygiene, unhealthy diet, alcohol and tobacco use may constitute in the development of dental caries and periodontal

What most people are not familiar with is the scientific name, Streptococcus mutant. But it is commonly known as tooth decay. This organism was first documented around the 1890’s discovered by W. D. Miller whom was a dentist but also had the theory that the dental caries were form by the sugar intake and over time it caused an acidic reaction to the teeth. But aside the theories made by Miller, dental caries/decay can date back to prehistoric time.

At the initial visit the patient’s plaque index was 43% and the plaque score was 55%. The most amount of plaque was present in the posterior regions in both the maxillary and mandibular quadrants. The anterior teeth suffered from a fair amount of attrition. Plaque was being retained in the grooves and pits of the damaged teeth. The patient also had slight interproximal plaque. Number 18 was chipped measially and was missing half of the large amalgam restoration. It had the most biofilm build up covering almost every aspect of the tooth, including the inside portion, which was exposed to oral cavity. When asked why she felt this was a problem area for her she responded that food constantly gets trapped inside and it’s painful, it hurts to brush. A large interproximal lesion on number 8 adjacent to porcelain fused to metal crown retained a considerable amount of biofilm also. The large and old amalgam restorations posteriorly were wearing away at the margins creating grooves and fissures on the occlusal surfaces also retaining plaque. I asked her if she felt like her diet or habits may be contributing to any oral pain or problems she is having. She answered honestly by saying she knows she harming not only her teeth but also her body. She wants to eat better and quit smoking, but she still gets pleasure when indulging and just isn’t ready to give up things she loves yet. She did agree to try and change some of her oral hygiene

Early intervention and care can prevent most of the oral health diseases. Nevertheless, dental caries remains the most common chronic disease among children and adolescents in the United States (Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, 2014). About 14.4% of children aged 3-5 years had untreated dental caries in 2009 -2010 (Dye 2012). In addition to pain and discomfort, untreated deciduous tooth caries can spread to roots and may lead to loss of tooth. This can subsequently affect the successor permanent tooth eruption leading to malocclusion which in turn can result in permanent teeth caries. Between 2007 and 2010, 15.6% of children aged 6-19 years had untreated dental caries (National Center for Health Statistics, 2014).

Untreated dental caries, more even in their advanced stages, frequently causes oral pain and it affects up to seven out of ten children in India and almost one in three adults in Brazil. (9) The Global Burden of Disease Study also showed that oral conditions combined accounted for 15 million DALYs globally, which represents an average of health loss of 224 years per 100,000 people. (8) With these facts in mind, if dental caries still represents a high burden disease, especially in adults, could this mean that people experiencing tooth decay or at least one person they know suffering tooth decay, are looking for dental caries related information on the Web?

Resting on the above-mentioned information, one realizes the fact that in terms of a multilevel approach to epidemiology the complex of actions is needed to improve the state of the oral health of people who belong to low-income communities. Only significant improvement of the conditions under which people live could have the positive impact on their health. That is why, in order to protect them from caries new program should be created. People should be explained the main aspects of healthy living and provide with the constant access to various health facilities. Only under these conditions some positive shits oculd be

Chronic periodontitis has been identified as the most prevalent form of periodontitis affecting the adults and occasionally the adolescents and children.(Merin, 2015) This periodontal disease of inflammatory origin is thought to be the result of host immune response against bacterial colonies in the subgingival plaque.(Merin, 2015) In many cases, systemic and environmental factors play a significant role in the disease progression. Common risk factors such as uncontrolled diabetes mellitus and smoking, contribute to periodontal destruction in genetically susceptible individuals by modifying the host’s immune reactions towards periodontal pathogens. Clinically, the diagnosis of chronic periodontitis is made based on the presence of supragingival and subgingival plaque and calculus, signs of gingival inflammation, periodontal attachment loss and radiographic bone loss. Chronic periodontitis can be further classified based on the extent and severity of periodontal destruction. Localised chronic periodontitis is diagnosed when less than 30% of the sites are affected; whereas the generalised form of the disease affects more than 30% of the sites. The severity of the disease is determined by the amount of clinical attachment loss. It is classified as mild, moderate or severe when 1-2mm, 3-4mm or 5mm or more attachment loss is recorded respectively. (Merin, 2015)

Early childhood caries (ECC) was the most widespread chronic childhood disease, albeit largely preventable if parents and caregivers adhered to oral hygiene guidelines, followed proper diet and nutritional practices, and kept regular dental visits for their child (Badri, 2014). Professional and academic bodies have long held and researched the importance of establishing and maintaining oral health at an early age. Early childhood oral health has influenced the trajectory of oral health and overall health in adulthood. Possible complications from ECC caries have included not only dental difficulty but medical consequences, pain, decreased quality of life, lost time of children from school and caregivers from work, increased medical bill expenses,

Terri Fava is a 46 yrs. Old woman, married with three kids. She is in good health, she has been diagnosis with high blood pressure and GERD. Terri high blood pressure is controlled by medication. Dental history is on good standards, but teeth are sensitive to hot and cold. Terri plaque score started at 75% and decrease to 25% during her visit with the clinic. What was noted during Terri’s appointment heavy tenacious calculus and root exposure. Her interdental papilla slightly inflamed. Terri has a habit of coffee drinking with creamer and sugar, along with having sweet tea and Pepsi. Her caries risk assessment indicated that Terri range from low to moderate. Terri is a good candidate for nutritional counseling because her oral mucosa has

To completely understand how to heal your own cavities, we need to look at what causes tooth decay.

“Early childhood caries (ECC) has been defined as the presence of one or more decayed (noncavitated or cavitated lesions), missing (due to caries), or

Some of the objectives in the Healthy People 2020 covered were reducing the proportion of dental caries in primary or permanent teeth as well as untreated tooth decay in children and adolescents and increasing the proportion of preventative dental services such as dental sealants on molar teeth among low-income children and adolescents. These objectives are useful in understand the bigger issue of dental caries as a societal problem and the measures needed to reduce the prevalence.

Since last year, I have spent approximately a thousand hours studying virulence factors of various bacteria of the oral cavity. I am currently in the process of writing a report on my latest project in preparation for publication. One of the highlights of my research was discovering how some bacteria that cause systemic diseases share the same virulence factors with cariogenic bacteria of the oral cavity. This experience made me realize how having a good oral health is vital for having good overall

Eight- to 17-year-old children are at greatest risk. Normally, as the young, immature enamel is bathed by salivary ions and the intercrystallinespaces fill, it becomes progressively harder and more mature. Mature enamel appears as a very dense, less penetrable, glassy hard structure that is fairly resistant to acid attack.However, enamel maturation takes time. The newly erupted enamel in teenagers is immature, and the crystalline structure is porous, chalky, and easily penetrated and dissolved by acids.4 Even in the absence of carbohydrates,soft drinks can be destructive to teeth. These acidic, or lowpH, beverages can contribute to the demineralization of dental hard tissues.Dental erosion is the loss of tooth structure by a chemical process not involving bacteria.5 Initially,enamel will demineralize and dissolve, with the surface appearing dull. Acids can also enter the pits of enamel and cause subsurface structure loss.6 The solubility of hydroxyapatite increases logarithmic-ally with decreasing pH.Erosion may be caused by either intrinsic or extrinsic sources. The intrinsic causes have been documented to include cases of anorexia nervosa and bulimia, as well as any