Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Ecological succession
Composition
Distribution
Microbial adherence
Calculus formation
1. Pellicle formation- oral bacteria initially attach to the pellicle and not directly to
enamel (i.e. hydroxyapatite)
3. Long-range interactions- van der Waals forces and electrostatic repulsion produces
a reversible phase of net adhesion.
Corn-cob structure
stage number 5
The dental plaque
Ecological succession
Dental calculus
Dental plaque biofilm plankton- microoganisms that live in water
Dental caries
Aetiology
Plaque hypotheses
Ecological plaque
hypothesis Prevention
Dental caries
Tooth decay
m / p membrane
Classification Clinical presentation
cementum
or dentin
Host factors
Tooth structure: some areas are much more susceptible -
differences in mineral content
Saliva (mechanical washing action, buffering capacity,
presence of calcium and phosphorus ions)
Diet (mainly the intake of fermentable carbohydrates):
sucrose
Plaque microorganisms (i.e. supragingival plaque).
Dental caries
Plaque hypotheses
Non-specific hypothesis
Heterogeneous mixture of non-specific bacteria
S. mutans initiates almost all lesions
Not essential
Plaque hypotheses
The role of mutans streptococci
Key features:
Absence of mutans streptococci at caries sites in some studies
and
Presence in high numbers, but no demineralization
Proposal:
Cariogenic flora in natural plaque:
Weakly competitive
Only a minority
Dental caries
Ecological plaque hypotheses
hypothesis
Periodontal disease
Disorders
Periodontal pocket
oxygen tension falls becoming highly anaerobic and
the flow of GCF increases.
proteolytic bacteria living in the periodontal pocket
raise the pH to alkaline levels – promotes growth of
Porphyromonas gingivalis.
Causative process:
Inflammatory response in the crevice to a natural plaque
accumulation
Increased GCF flow provides complex host molecules (catabolized by
proteolytic Gram-negative anaerobes)
Suppression of growth of common species in healthy crevice-
population shift
Periodontopathic flora then produce virulence factors
Dentoalveolar infections
Dentoalveolar
abscess Ludwig’s
angina Periodontal
abscess
Other infections
Overview
Complications:
or a swollen tongue
spaces