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Dental Caries

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Dental Caries

Historical Timeline
�� 2500 B.C.—Chinese—little white worms with black spots on heads caused decay
�� 350 B.C Aristotle, et. al., figs and sweets caused decay
�� 1819—Livei Parmly linked bacteria to decay created by a combination of lodged food and an “active poison which causes teeth to corrode.”

• 1840—John Tomes—heat and moisture caused decomposition in the mouth
�� 1881—Miles & Underwood—germs secreted acid that led to decay
�� 1889—W.D. Miller— chemico-parasitic theory— carbohydrate retention + acidogenic bacteria

1938—H. Trendley Dean links fluoride to caries reduction
�� 1955—Crest develops first fluoridated toothpaste
�� 1990s—water fluoridation celebrates 50 years

Dental caries is an infectious, CHRONIC , multifactorial disease caused by bacteria that is characterized by the destruction of enamel from acids leaving behind a preliminary “white spot lesion.”

�� This process continues until the more organic, inner dental tissues are destroyed. D/W gives definitions of different types of caries.

Caries Process
�� Begins in the enamel and progresses through to the subsequent tooth layers in a triangular pattern until it reaches the pulp. Tooth cavitation = a carious lesion

�� Lesions appear radiolucent on radiographs. Incipient lesions usually appear in the interproximal areas and can be arrested through proper home care or fluoride treatments.

Zones of Demineralization

�� Zone 1—destruction—caries from enamel surface into the dentin

�� Zone 2—penetration—dentin is dissolved bacteria enters from outside

�� Zone 3—demineralization—process speeds up as access becomes easier and dentin is further destroyed by acid byproducts of metabolism

�� Zone 4—translucency—host tries to ward off the attack

�� Zone 5—reactionary
Causal Factors: The Agent

Plaque: The amount of bacterial plaque is a causative

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