Investigating the Architecture of Cavities

Have you ever wondered how your kids get cavities or why you got them as a kid? As I was researching studies on the microbiome, I found a fascinating article on cavities.

Cavities, also called dental caries, are a disease caused by bacteria that attack the biofilm known as plaque and damage the enamel of the teeth by creating an acidic atmosphere. In addition to the bacteria, cavities are also dependent on diet. All that stuff about sugar causing tooth decay? Yes, it’s actually true—just maybe not in the way we thought. The primary bacterium associated with tooth decay is Streptococcus mutans, an aggressive plaque builder and acid-producer. But how?

Researchers from two universities wanted to examine any types of structures that might be built on teeth by S. mutans and other bacteria that might contribute to cavities. What kind of structures are we talking about? No one really knew for sure. But to find out, they needed to study the structures as close to the mouth as possible but not actually in the mouths of children; they used the extracted teeth of children who had so much decay the teeth couldn’t be saved and preserved them for analysis. As unbelievable as it may sound, up to 2.5 billion people, mostly children, are impacted by this type of decay.

We’ll continue this look at the topic on Saturday.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Reference: doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1919099117