Dental caries is a common problem for many people. Once dental caries appear, the teeth are often greatly damaged, and even lead to tooth pain. For children, the harm of dental caries is very significant, not only affecting their chewing function, but also leading to health problems. So what are the causes of dental caries?
1、 Cause of illness
The currently recognized etiology of dental caries is the quadruple factor theory, which mainly includes bacteria, oral environment, host, and time. The basic point is that cariogenic food sugars adhere tightly to the tooth surface, forming an acquired membrane from salivary proteins. This type of acquired membrane not only firmly adheres to the tooth surface, but also has enough time to produce acid in the deep layer of plaque at a suitable temperature, invading the teeth, causing demineralization, and further damaging organic matter, resulting in cavities.
1. Bacteria
It is a necessary condition for the occurrence of dental caries, and it is generally believed that there are two types of cariogenic bacteria. One is the acid producing bacteria genus, which mainly includes Streptococcus mutans, Actinomyces, and Lactobacillus. They can decompose carbohydrates to produce acid, leading to demineralization of inorganic matter in teeth; Another type is Gram positive cocci, which can destroy organic matter and, after long-term exposure, can cause dental caries.
2. Oral environment
The oral cavity is the external environment of teeth and is closely related to the occurrence of dental caries, with food and saliva playing a dominant role.
(1) Food is mainly carbohydrates, which are related to the formation of plaque matrix and the main energy source for bacteria in plaque. Bacteria can use carbohydrates (especially sucrose) to metabolize and produce acids, and synthesize extracellular and intracellular polysaccharides. The organic acids produced are conducive to the growth of acid producing and acid resistant bacteria, as well as the demineralization of dental hard tissues. Polysaccharides can promote bacterial adhesion and accumulation on the tooth surface, and provide energy sources in the absence of exogenous sugars.
(2) Under normal circumstances, saliva has the following functions: ① mechanical cleaning; ② Antibacterial effect; ③ Anti acid effect; ④ Anti solubility effect.
When the quantity and quality of saliva change, it can affect the caries incidence rate. Clinically, patients with dry mouth or saliva secretion have a significantly increased caries incidence rate. Patients undergoing maxillofacial radiotherapy may have multiple dental caries due to damage to the salivary glands; On the other hand, an increase in lactate levels in saliva is also beneficial for the occurrence of dental caries.
3. Host
Teeth are the target organs in the process of dental caries, and the morphology, mineralization degree, and tissue structure of teeth are directly related to the occurrence of dental caries.
4. Time
The occurrence of dental caries has a long process, usually taking 1, 5 to 2 years from initial caries to clinical formation of cavities. Therefore, even if cariogenic bacteria, suitable environment, and susceptible hosts coexist, dental caries will not occur immediately. Only when the above three factors coexist for a considerable period of time can caries occur.
As parents, we must actively take care of our children's teeth, teach them to brush their teeth as early as possible, and learn how to protect their teeth, otherwise it is more likely to lead to dental caries. If symptoms of dental caries are detected, mothers must actively seek medical treatment with their children, otherwise the harm is very significant.