What is dental caries and what causes it?
Answers
Dental caries or tooth decay is a kind of infection, mostly caused by bacteria. Bacteria in our mouth feed on the sugar present in food that we eat and produce acids. These acids can dissolve the minerals present in our tooth enamel by a process known as demineralization which can cause destruction of the tooth enamel resulting in dental caries.
Dental caries can occur because of consuming chocolates, sweets, cold drinks and other sugar products. It can be prevented which includes the proper cleaning of teeth.
Answer:
Dental caries (tooth decay) is a major oral health problem in most industrialised countries, affecting 60–90% of schoolchildren and the vast majority of adults.
The early manifestation of the caries process is a small patch of demineralised (softened) enamel at the tooth surface, often hidden from sight in the fissures (grooves) of teeth or in between the teeth. The destruction spreads into the softer, sensitive part of the tooth beneath the enamel (dentine). The weakened enamel then collapses to form a cavity and the tooth is progressively destroyed. Caries can also attack the roots of teeth should they become exposed by gum recession. This is more common in older adults.