The effect of saliva on dental caries

THE EFFECT OF SALIVA ON DENTAL CARIES

Dental decay is a multifactorial disease caracterized by tooth’s destruction. This review is based in a research of different articles to compare author’sopinions about the etiology of dental decay.
In Georg K. Stookey investigation, they defend that the saliva has an important role in the prevention of dental caries. It has been demostarted thatestimulating salivary flow trhough chewing sugar free gums after meals reduce the incidence of dental decay. In this article they described some of the data used to evaluate the effect of the saliva indental decay.
People need carbohidrate to satisfy their nutrients and energy requirements. Therefore, the carbohidrate are ready to be digested by the oral flora. This can drive to the production ofacids capable in demineralized enamel and dentine.
Bacterial plaque’s pH drop by everytime something which contains carbohidrates is ingested. After that, the pH recover rest level helped by the saliva.Moreover, the saliva also works as a defense mechanism in the host through the demineralize reparation that occurs when de pH of the plaque is lower than 5.5 – 6. Several investigators had reportedthat the most important factor that leads to caries in the food is the frequency of its ingest.

In the Stookey article, Stephan and Englnder noticed that the flow salivaestimulation highly increased the recuperation rate of pH and the return to the repose level. On the same way, Dawes indicated that a high salival flow increases proteins, sodium, cloruro andbicarbonate concentration and decrease magnesium and phosforo concentration. The increase of bicarbonat concenartion spreads in the plaque, neutralices the acids, increases pH and promotes enamelremineralization and damaged dentine.

The increase of caries is asociated to high sugar levels and snacks between meals. That was confirmed by Burt. Althow, Bowen afirmed that there’s...