Advances in Dental Research, Vol 8, 221-224, Copyright © 1994 by International & American Associations for Dental Research
Diet patterns and caries
D. A. Geddes
Department of Oral Sciences, University of Glasgow, UK.
Few dietary studies have been designed to investigate the effects of intake
patterns of food items upon the environment of the teeth. This brief review
considers evidence about the effects of choice, combination, and sequence
of ingested food and drink upon the pH of human dental plaque in vivo. A
series of three studies, which were designed to investigate some of the
intra-oral biological events associated with cariogenicity during various
eating patterns, are discussed. The principal findings show that if a
"meal" includes an item which contains carbohydrate such as sucrose,
glucose, or fructose which is rapidly fermented by the acidogenic
microorganisms in dental plaque, there will be rapid acid production and
the plaque pH will fall. However, other items eaten immediately before,
during, or after the consumption of the sugary item can influence the
plaque pH. If the non-sugary item stimulates saliva, it will have a
pH-raising effect. The remineralizing potential may be enhanced if, for
instance, calcium or fluoride is released from the food. However, if one
sugary item is followed by another, the demineralizing potential may be
enhanced. The results of these experiments are discussed in the context of
our current understanding of the dynamics of the carious process. Recent
preliminary experiments suggest that other factors, such as the individual
subject's speed of consumption, may also affect the cariogenic potential of
the oral environment.
