Combination of Bacterium, Fungus Cause Early Childhood Caries
Bacterium, Fungus Together Cause Early Childhood Caries Effective oral hygiene is critical to the prevention of early childhood caries—the most common chronic childhood disease in the world. However, children must not only be taught how to successfully perform oral self
Combination of Bacterium, Fungus Cause Early Childhood Caries
Effective oral hygiene is critical to the prevention of early childhood caries—the most common global chronic childhood disease. However, children must not only be taught how to successfully perform oral self-care, but also the importance of a well-balanced diet. That’s because, according to a new study, the bacterium Streptococcus mutans and the fungus Candida albicans work together to cause tooth decay, disproving previous theories that S. mutans acts alone in caries development and progression.
The paper, “Symbiotic Relationship Between Streptococcus mutans and Candida albicans Synergize the Virulence of Plaque-Biofilms in Vivo,” was written by investigators from the University of Pennsylvania (Penn) School of Dental Medicine in Philadelphia, and will be published in the May issue of Infection and Immunity. According to the report, S. mutans enables C. albicans to develop a glue-like consistency in the presence of sugar. As a result, the fungus sticks to the teeth and binds with S. mutans—adding to dental biofilms that, if left unattended, may cause caries lesions.
“Our data will certainly open the way to test agents to prevent this disease, and, even more intriguing, the possibility of preventing children from acquiring this infection,” notes lead investigator Hyun Koo, DDS, MS, PhD, a professor in the Department of Orthodontics at Penn School of Dental Medicine.
While it has been shown that S. mutans contributes to tooth decay, the researchers discovered during an in vivo evaluation that when the bacterium was present alongside C. albicans, the incidence of caries and the severity of the disease increased. The team also observed the presence of C. albicans in the biofilm of children with early childhood caries. “The combination of the two organisms led to a greatly enhanced production of the glue-like polymer, drastically boosting the ability of the bacterium and the fungus to colonize the teeth, increasing the bulk of the biofilms and the density of the infection,” says Koo. Further research on the subject matter is warranted.
Hygiene Connection E-Newsletter
April 2014
