Six factors that play a role in caries development - Salivary gland hypofunction

5 important questions on Six factors that play a role in caries development - Salivary gland hypofunction

Name a few things saliva does or exists of to be the number 1 protector of your teeth.

- It is saturated with: calcium, phosphate, sodium, bicarbonate and proteins

- Sodium bicarbonate has a pH of 7.0

- Saliva clears food from the oral cavity

- Eating crunchy foods --> increases the saliva production

- Vitamin A+ plays huge role in production of saliva

What are the physical, chemical and antibacterial factors of saliva?

Physical factors
- viscous saliva = not as effective at rinsing teeth as more fluid
- as saliva flow is stimulated by chewing, amount saliva increases
- person with lot of saliva -> food clear faster --> pH returns basic faster

Chemical factors
- sodium bicarbonate, phosphates, proteins, urea in saliva --> buffer acid
- the more saliva --> more buffering chemicals available to protect teeth
- calcium + phosphorus in diet --> can saturate saliva + assist mineralization

Antibacterial factors
- mucins in saliva trap bacteria + are swallowed with saliva
- proteins in saliva may kill bacteria

- Name at least 4 sugar alcohols

- Which of them is the most desirable of all sugar substitutes + name the 3 functions it has.

Sorbitol, Maltitol, xylitol, lactitol, isomalt, erythritol, mannitol

Xylitol is the most desirable of all sugar substitutes:
- not metabolized by bacterial plaque
- reduces salivary streptococcus mutans in the oral cavity
- has capability to remineralize incipient decay
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On which 7 factors is cariogenicity of the diet depending on?

- Physical form of sugar

- Oral clearance time

- Other food ingredients

- Frequency in which carbs are eaten

- Presence of acid-producing bacteria in plaque

- Resistance of teeth to decay

- Amount and buffering capabilities of saliva

Name 6 things that can help prevent dental caries

- Awareness of frequency + form of carbs in our diet

- Assure good amount of saliva by chewing crunchy foods (include 1 crunchy food with each meal -> clean oral cavity)

- Include cariostatic foods in our diet (as snacks)

- Pay attention to the sequence in which foods are eaten

- Consuming sugary liquids, drink after meal rather than snack

- Use of toothpaste + fluoride on daily basis to remineralize areas that have been demineralized

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