Caries or colloquially “tooth decay” is today one of the most widespread diseases of the teeth and the periodontium, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) it is even one of the most common infectious diseases worldwide. However, many people still do not know how and for what reason caries develops, which factors favour it and how to counteract an infection. The causes of caries are quite simple.
Since caries is a disease favoured by carbohydrate-rich food (sugar), the bacteria that cause it belong to a genus that needs carbohydrates to a great extent for survival. These are so-called cariogenic streptococci. The oral cavity is densely populated by these bacteria as a warm, humid habitat.
About 300 different species live in our oral cavity. The majority of these bacteria are enormously important for the digestive process and must therefore exist in our oral cavity. In order to attach themselves to the surface of the teeth, they have to secrete a sticky, sugar-rich secretion.
In addition, the bacteria use the sugar (especially glucose) to produce energy, that is, to survive. Unfortunately, this process also produces waste products (lactic acid) which damage the tooth substance and are considered the cause of caries. The lactic acid attacks the tooth enamel and dissolves it.
This explains why the frequent consumption of sweet food promotes the development of caries. In addition to the waste products of the bacteria, food residues also contribute to the formation of plaque and caries. Irregular tooth cleaning inevitably leads to tooth damage.
An even tooth structure would make it more difficult for the bacteria to adhere to the tooth and thus cause a caries defect, but unfortunately the tooth surface is anything but even. Especially the occlusal surfaces (occlusal surfaces) offer many points of attack. When looking at a molar tooth (molars), the uneven structure is most noticeable, because the occlusal surfaces have deep grooves (fissures) in which bacteria can multiply undisturbed and do their mischief. Ideally, these fissures are relatively flat and easy to clean, but they can also be wedge-shaped or bottle-shaped and thus difficult to keep clean. As a rule of thumb, the deeper and tighter the fissure, the higher the risk of caries.
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