Caries-causing bacteria – Streptococcus mutans – appeared in the human oral cavity since time immemorial, after the amount of meat was reduced in the diet of ancient people and more carbohydrates appeared due to the development of agriculture and cattle breeding. At the same time, according to research data, in the Middle Ages, the prevalence of caries in Europe was almost three times lower than today – and this despite the fact that teeth were cleaned with very dubious, from a modern point of view, mixtures. For example, crushed marble, date-pit ash, honeysuckle leaves. The fact is that tooth decay is literally a disease of the “industrial revolution”, as a result of which refined sugar, sugary drinks and other foods high in carbohydrates appeared in our diet.
Bacteria Streptococcus mutans live precisely at the expense of carbohydrate food residues, processing them into acid. Contacting with the surface of the teeth, it has a truly detrimental effect on calcium hydroxyapatite, which is the main “building material” of teeth. As a result, caries occurs.
Can its development be prevented? Yes, it is quite real, scientists answer. However, for this you will have to adhere to a special diet.
First of all, it is necessary to reduce the consumption of sweets to a minimum. After enjoying a cake or candy, drinking juice or sweet water, be sure to rinse your mouth. If possible, replace caries-inducing glucose, sucrose, and fructose with less cariogenic sorbitol, mannitol, and xylitol.
Fluoride is an effective tool for strengthening tooth enamel. Choose fluoride toothpastes, but don’t go overboard: a pea-sized amount of toothpaste is enough for one brushing. An excess of fluoride is just as harmful to enamel as its deficiency.
The combination of calcium and vitamin D is critical for those who want to prevent tooth decay. The daily requirement of calcium for an adult is about 900 mg, and vitamin D is necessary for this mineral to be absorbed by our body.
Please note that garlic, which is a powerful natural antiseptic, as well as whole grain cereals and blue berries, which prevent the formation of acid plaque on the teeth, effectively prevent the growth of cariogenic bacteria in the oral cavity.
Those who find it difficult to stick to a diet can only hope for a caries vaccine that will save us from the sound of a drill. Scientists continue to work on its invention. Moreover, they have already achieved some success – back in 2011, researchers from the Wuheng Institute of Virology (China) announced that they had successfully tested a vaccine on rats that causes the body to kill caries-causing bacteria.
However, their colleagues from other countries are still rather skeptical about the achievements of specialists from the Celestial Empire. First of all, a caries vaccine will be really effective only if it is given to children aged from one to one and a half years – when the first milk teeth appear, but the community of bacteria that provoke plaque has not yet formed.
In addition, the caries vaccine has another drawback. Even if with its help it is possible to overcome one of the types of streptococcus that provokes the disease, other types of bacteria can intercept the “initiative” and continue to contribute to tooth decay. Therefore, the future of “vaccination against caries” is still in question, and humanity can only rely on oral hygiene and not overuse sweets.