Universidad Anahuac Mayab

Student: Elizabeth Martinez Marquez

Role of

carbohydrates

in caries
formation
 Caries substrate factor

Free sugars are the essential dietary factor in the

development of dental caries because dental caries does

not occur in the absence of dietary sugars. Dental caries

develops when bacteria in the mouth metabolize sugars

to produce acid that demineralizes the hard tissues of the

teeth
The interaction between diet and caries is an important

aspect because food is the source of the nutrients

required for the metabolism of microorganisms.

Caries is a special infectious disease because the bacteria

depend on an external substrate (dietary sugars).

Factors influencing the

cariogenicity of carbohydrates:

Carbohydrate consumption

Sugars retained on tooth surfaces

Time of permanence of sugars in

the oral cavity

 How do carbohydrates contribute to the carious

process?

Ingested carbohydrates are transformed by

bacteria into adhesive extracellular

polysaccharides and this leads to adhesion of

bacterial colonies to each other and to the tooth

surface.
Biofilm bacteria use carbohydrates as an energy

source. By the metabolic process they are

formed into acids that dissolve the minerals of

the tooth.
How do carbohydrates contribute to the carious

process?
The carbohydrates can be converted into

polysaccharides, similar to amylopectin, which can be

used as an energy source during the time when no

exogenous carbohydrates are available, thus increasing

the period during which the microorganisms produce

acids.
The presence of cariogenic bacteria capable of rapidly

producing acids until the critical pH necessary to

decalcify the enamel is reached is required, and a diet

rich in saccharides favors the colonization of these

bacteria.
 Multiplication
Adherence to the biofilm Increase in population of microorganisms.
Acidogenic conditions favor development of
Colonized by Sreptococcus sanguis.
lactobacillus, veillonellae, coccus
Low number of S. mutans
The microorganisms present in the biofilm
are acid producers and the caries process
begins.

Bacterial colonization

Increased thickness and complexity.

Sucrose-dependent
S. mutans synthesize bacterial extracellular
glucans from sucrose that are used by
bacteria for adhesion
 Sucrose is the substrate for bacterial metabolism

1) Acid production: sucrose entering the oral cavity is

transformed as an energy source by S. mutans.

The transport mechanism of these microorganisms

increases when the environment becomes acidic.

S. mutans, S. sobrinus and Lactobacillus are able to work

with a pH below 6 and contribute to their cariogenicity.

Acidophilia, acidogenesis and aciduric power together

with regeneration against sudden drops in pH are

virulence factors of microorganisms in cariogenesis.

 Sucrose is the substrate for bacterial metabolism

2) Extracellular polysaccharides: before sucrose enters

the S. mutans cell, a percentage of it is transformed by

exoenzymes that cleave and transfer each hexose

moiety to a receptor molecule and form polymers such

as glucans and fructans that are diffused.

Mutans stimulate bacterial aggregation and adhesion

S. mutans, S. salivarius and A. viscosus produce a

polymer called "levane", which are degraded by

enzymes and act as a source of energy.

 Sucrose is the substrate for bacterial metabolism

3) Intracellular polysaccharides: Once glucose or

fructose enters the cell, they are catolyzed by the

glycolytic pathway. Biofilm bacteria, such as S. mutans,

develop a method to manage the excess of these

nutrients that contribute to the caries process. Excess

sugars are derived from a compound that stores energy

reserves called "intracellular polysaccharides" (IP),

which can be degraded during periods of nutrient

depletion to maintain the viability of the

microorganisms.
 References

Mooney B. Operatoria Dental. Avances clínicos, restauraciones y

estética. 5 ed. Panamericana.

World Health Organization. Sugars and dental caries. October 2017.