The caries-attrition competition

Contradictory reports on the interreation of caries and attrition concerning their destructive activity at the occlusal surface of teeth required more investigation. Some suggested that the abrasive action of attrition worked against the progress of decay. Others proposed that attrition facilitated the development of caries in dentine exposed due to the dental wear. A comparison of the condition of teeth in western societies from an intermediate stage, with the preceding period characterized by excessive attrition, and with the following period of ongoing reduction of dental wear, might elucidate the mutual relationship. For this reason the almost complete dental assemblage of fifty men, whalers buried during their short sojourn in the Arctic in the 17th and 18th centuries at a Dutch whaling station, and the data of their contemporaries, were evaluated. The results confirmed the proposition that the rise in caries incidence from (pre-) medieval times on, was associated with an ongoing fall of dental attrition. Within this sample of an intermediate phase, one sees that the percentage of carious molars decreases considerably when the degree of dental wear increases. Besides, at the occlusal surface the decay was almost exclusively located in the natural fissures and pits of teeth, not in the exposed dentine due to wear. These findings strongly suggest a competitive relationship between progress of caries and attrition. The best impression of the attrition rate is gained by linkage of degree of dental attrition (i.e. functional age) to age at death. The wide age ranges fitting to the degrees of molar wear make it hazardous to use attrition for age determination.     

Periodontal disease in the Mycenean (1450–1150 BC) population of Aghia Triada, W. Peloponnese, Greece

This study investigates the incidence of periodontitis in a Mycenaean population unearthed at the cemetery of Aghia Triada (West Peloponnese, Greece) during the 1989–1997 field season. The material consists of 172 dry skulls. Demographic parameters of sex and age were difficult to be assigned due to the bad state of preservation of the skeletal material. The ratio was 50 males, 48 females, 65 unidentified and 9 children, and we estimated an average age of 38 years. In this work we used traditional and modern methods to determine the incidence of periodontitis in the archeological human dental bone. We also recorded other dental diseases, such as ante mortem tooth loss, caries and attrition. The results showed that periodontitis has affected 35% of the jaws. A notable percentage of the individuals — 24% — lost three or more teeth during their lifetime and a total 53% of the population had extracted teeth before death. This paper points out that the ancient jaws present a high proportion of ante-mortem tooth loss, attrition and deep caries, whereas the frequency of periodontitis does not seem to differ from that of other prehistoric samples.     

Hanuman Langur: Monkey of India

An apparently new type of dental wear pattern, lingual surface attrition of the maxillary anterior teeth (LSAMAT), has been found in 85% of 46 adult crania from a 3000–4200 BP Archaic site called Corondó near the Atlantic Ocean coast of Brazil. LSAMAT is associated with a high caries rate (60% of 77 adults; 11% of 1,219 permanent teeth) in what on archeologica grounds alone would be considered a mainly meat-eating population. It is suggested that both LSAMAT and caries resulted from eating some starchy plant like manioc.     

The Epidemiology of Dental Diseases in the Elderly1

This paper summarizes and evaluates epidemiologic evidence on adult dental conditions with a focus on older adults. Information is presented on coronal caries; root caries; loss of teeth, attrition, abrasion, and erosion; periodontal diseases; and oral cancer. The author concludes that the oral health status of the elderly in the United States is essentially unknown. There are no recent, representative population base studies of oral conditions in the elderly. Studies of prevalence or incidence of oral diseases typically include few elderly persons or describe a select group of elderly who are at high risk. Furthermore, it is not really known whether the incidence and prevalence of coronal caries or root caries is actually increasing or is part of a cohort effect. While oral cancers have been shown to increase with age, there is no information as to whether their incidence rates are increasing. While, clinically, there are indications that attrition, abrasion and erosion are characteristics that are more likely to be seen in older adults, there is no information about their distribution in the population. There is evidence that loss of teeth is decreasing but nothing is known about the patterning of that loss. As for periodontal diseases, much work is needed to identify various syndromes that may be distinguished by their distribution in the population as well as determining whether periodontitis is a condition responsible for a majority of tooth loss or just the majority of tooth loss in a small high risk group. In addition, some suggestions are presented for future directions of research in this area.     

北票喇嘛洞三燕文化墓地人骨的牙病

本文对辽宁北标喇嘛洞三燕文化墓地出土人骨的牙病作了详细的观察。初步探讨了龋病和牙周病的罹患率与性别和年龄的关系,结果显示：（1）龋病的罹患率男女间差异不显著,而牙周病的罹患率性别差异显著。（2）龋病的罹患率与年龄变化具有一定关系,而牙周病的罹患率则与年龄变化关系密切。此外,对多生牙、先天缺额牙、融合牙、错位牙、第三臼齿的阻生情况也分别作了记录与分析。     

Experimental Activities in Primary School to Learn about Microbes in an Oral Health Education Context

Experimental science activities in primary school enable important cross-curricular learning. In this study, experimental activities on microbiology were carried out by 16 pupils in a Portuguese grade-4 classroom (9–10?years old) and were focused on two problem-questions related to microbiology and health: (1) do your teeth carry microbes? (2) why should you brush your teeth after meals? To solve problem-question (1), children’s samples of dental plaque were prepared and observed under the microscope. For question (2), culture medium plates were inoculated with children’s dental plaque either before or after tooth brushing and the colonies were counted. Results showed that pupils easily recognised the presence of microorganisms in the mouth and verified the effectiveness of the process of teeth-brushing. Pupils understood that microorganisms were potentially responsible for the onset of dental caries. These practical activities on microbiology in primary school were very effective in ensuring young children easily understand the causes of dental caries and how they can be prevented. Pupils became aware that the act of brushing their teeth is not only a socially correct behaviour or a simple rule to meet, but also a matter of preventing illness and promoting health.     

Paleoepidemiology of a central California prehistoric population from CA-Ala-329: dental disease

Ala-329 is a prehistoric central California site located on the southeastern margin of San Francisco Bay, dating from approximately 500 AD up to pre-European contact. A large earth mound, Ala-329, has yielded many well preserved burials, approximately 300 of which are included in this study. The most common pathological lesions seen in this population are in the dentition. Advanced attrition is pervasive, affecting all individuals with teeth in occlusion for 2 years or more. Deciduous teeth are involved even in very young children and often show severe wear before replacement. In the permanent dentition, all elements are involved by the second decade; in the oldest age category (41+ years), all individuals show severe wear throughout their dentitions. In fact, by the end of the third decade, the majority of individuals have no enamel remaining. Mild periodontal involvement is found in 74% of adults, socket resorption in 53%, and abscesses in 31% of the relevant sample. Interestingly, although dental abscesses are found more than twice as often among males, socket resorption is seen more often among females. Dental caries are seen in only 10 individuals. The high incidence of periodontal remodeling, socket resorption, and dental abscesses is probably a secondary result of severe dental attrition. It is hypothesized that a large quantity of abrasives in the diet is responsible for the extreme degree of attrition, in fact, among the most severe for any population yet described.     

郑州青台遗址新石器时代中晚期人群龋齿的统计与分析

本文通过对郑州青台遗址新石器时代中晚期91例个体、1913枚牙齿罹患龋齿的统计与分析可知,青台人群患龋率为71.43%,龋齿率为13.38%。其中,龋齿率女性高于男性,可能与女性孕期生理变化、食物选择及性别分工等有关。上颌龋齿率高于下颌,臼齿及咬合面为龋齿易患齿类及部位。通过对比可知青台人群显示出较高的龋齿罹患率,暗示该人群饮食中应包含较多的碳水化合物类食物,这可能与新石器时代中晚期黄河中游发达的旱作农业有关。此外,龋齿率在黄河及长江中、下游新石器时代农业人群中的区域性差异可能与龋病病因的复杂性和各地区不同的文化面貌、人群生活方式有关。     

Amounts of Sr and Ca Eluted from Deciduous Enamel to Artificial Saliva Related to Dental Caries

This study was performed to elucidate the relationship between dental caries and the levels of Sr and Ca eluted from enamel, and to examine whether these elements are useful as factors to assess caries risk. The available 103 (Sr) and 108 (Ca) samples were obtained among 111 collected deciduous teeth. The healthy regions of enamel were decalcified in artificial saliva at pH 6.2 and 5.5. The eluted levels of these elements from enamel were determined using atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Sr and Ca levels were not affected by the sex nor tooth type. Sr levels of the caries-experienced tooth (CE) group were 2.6-fold (pH 6.2) and 2.2-fold (pH 5.5) higher than those of the sound tooth (ST) group, respectively. Furthermore, the Sr levels were significantly higher in the teeth with treated than in those with untreated caries. Only at pH 6.2 was a significant difference found in Ca levels between the ST and CE groups. In the ST group, at pH 5.5, both the Sr and Ca levels significantly increased when the children had six or more carious teeth. The Sr and Ca elution levels were significantly inhibited in the teeth receiving fluoride application every 3 or 4 months compared to those that were not. These findings indicate that Sr can be an indicator of the acid resistance of teeth, and a useful factor to assess future caries risk.     

The estimation of dental caries incidence in the presence of diagnostic error.

Diagnostic error in large scale screening programs for dental caries is frequent, as when teeth initially classified as carious are later diagnosed as never having been affected by caries. This paper presents a general formulation of diagnostic error in dental caries screening. The basic parameter of the formulation is the caries incidence rate. The general formulation of this paper permits an explicit comparison, in a common notation, of two specific models of diagnostic error--one due to Carlos and Senning, the other to Lu. Each model gives rise to a consistent estimator of the incidence rate. The distributional properties of these estimators had not previously been examined because of the dependence of teeth in the same mouth with respect to caries experience. Using the present formulation, the sampling scheme may be regarded as a one-stage cluster sample with mouths as clusters. This approach accounts for intracluster dependence thus permitting the derivation of an estimator of the relevant covariance matrix and a confidence interval for the incidence rate.     

Mn and Cu concentrations in mixed saliva of elementary school children in relation to sex,age, and dental caries

To examine the standard Mn and Cu concentrations in mixed saliva from children and the relationship between these levels and dental caries, resting mixed saliva samples obtained from 527 children of an elementary school in Kitakyushu City were collected at 10:00–11:30 a.m. during December 2004. The Mn and Cu concentrations were determined using simultaneous multi-element atomic absorption spectrometry. The standard Mn and Cu levels were 22.0±15.2 and 3.8±4.1 ng/mL, respectively, in the sound teeth group. Mn levels were significantly higher in boys (25.4±17.4 ng/mL) than girls (19.1±12.3 ng/mL) and also higher in upper (25.5±16.4 ng/mL) than lower (19.0±13.5 ng/mL) grades. The Cu level was unaffected by sex and age in the sound teeth group. The Cu level in children with caries experience (5.7±5.3 ng/mL) was significantly higher than that of the sound teeth group. Moreover, the Cu levels in children with untreated caries were significantly higher than that of the sound teeth group, and increased with the number of untreated teeth. No significant difference was found in the Cu concentrations between the group in which all decayed teeth were treated and the sound teeth group. The Mn levels were similar with or without caries and treatment. These findings indicate that the Mn level in mixed saliva depended on sex and age, and suggest the possibility of Cu dissolving into mixed saliva by demineralization due to dental caries.     

Dental health of elderly confederate veterans: evidence from the Texas State Cemetery

Analysis of the skeletal remains of 50 Confederate veterans provided a unique opportunity to explore the dental health of a geriatric sample. These men, who died between 1907-1932, had an average age at death of 76.7 years. Ninety percent were institutionalized at the Confederate Home for Men (Austin, TX) prior to their deaths. This elderly sample was assessed in terms of caries, antemortem tooth loss (AMTL), abscesses, and linear enamel hypoplasias. On a per tooth basis, the AMTL rate was 57.2%. Of 39 dentate men, 33 (84.6%) had dental caries, and 24.4% (121 of 496) of teeth were carious. Ten (25.0%) of the dentate men had hypoplastic teeth. At least one abscess was seen in 14 (28%) of 50 individuals. Results from this geriatric institutionalized sample are compared to contemporaneous historical samples. Disparities in dental health among these groups may be due to differences in average age at death, and these comparisons allow a better understanding of dental changes that occur with age. The sample is also compared to modern elderly samples: modern groups have higher caries rates, possibly because they retained more teeth. This finding may be due in part to diets in the United States becoming increasingly cariogenic over time. In addition, dental care has moved from the reactive practices seen in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries (such as tooth extractions) to modern proactive solutions dedicated to preserving and restoring teeth (such as tooth brushing, fluoride treatments, and dental fillings).     

牛河梁红山文化人群龋齿的统计与分析

本文通过对牛河梁遗址出土的31例红山文化时期人类牙齿龋病的统计与分析, 获知: 1)牛河梁遗址男女两性的患龋率、龋齿率没有明显的性别差异; 2)他们的患龋率和龋齿率有随年龄增长逐步增高的趋势; 3)上颌的龋齿罹患率高于下颌; 4)龋齿的发生主要集中在臼齿,且以咬合面部位为主; 5)他们的患龋率和龋齿率均较低。牛河梁红山文化人群相对偏低的龋齿率可能暗示出他们的经济生活方式还处在以采集狩猎为主体的模式中, 农耕经济可能处于较低层次的状态。     

Dental caries in nineteenth century Upper Canada

This study examines the presence of dental caries in a large sample of adult skeletons from the 19th century cemetery of St. Thomas' Anglican Church in Belleville, Ontario. The cemetery was used from 1821 to 1874. Caries prevalence and frequencies of diseased and missing teeth were calculated both by observing summary statistics of individual rates and by the total sample of teeth. Postmortem tooth loss is low in this sample and antemortem tooth loss is highest in first mandibular molars, all other molars and then premolars. Age at death, but not sex, was found to be significantly related to the overall Caries Rate while both age and sex were significantly associated with the Diseased-Missing Index. The increase in diseased and missing teeth in older individuals is expected while the sex difference is not explained by simple dietary factors. When compared to reports on British and American samples, caries and antemortem tooth loss in the St. Thomas' sample is most similar to a pre-1850 British group and higher than American samples. Although there is undoubtedly a complex of factors contributing to caries prevalence in this sample, more data are required from large historic samples, particularly from the American northeast and late 19th century Britain, to have a clearer understanding of the influence of diet, cultural, and environmental factors affecting caries rates in historic populations. Am J Phys Anthropol 104:71–87, 1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

The anthropological value of minor variants of the dental crown

The incidences of 31 minor variants of the dental crown were scored from dental casts of samples taken from six European populations. Although several variants showed significant sex bias in one or other sample, only one (pits instead of furrow on premolar₂) consistently favoured one sex. Associations between the variants were sought. Although few consistent associations were demonstrated, there was a possible tendency for extra cusps to occur together throughout the dentition. Distance statistics calculated between the samples were compatible with the expected genetical relationships of the samples, but only modern samples could be used since variants were destroyed by attrition in archeological samples. Before such distances can be considered reliable, it is necessary to know:

• i the extent to which environmental factors such as diet influence variant expression.
• ii whether or not variant bearing teeth are selectively destroyed by caries, which in civilised populations render a high proportion of most dentitions unscoreable.

     

明万历帝及其两后的口腔情况

本文对明神宗万历帝及其两后的口腔情况进行了观察,尤其对龋齿、牙周病、氟牙症及磨耗等方面,作了分析和讨论。     

Secretor status and dental caries in Iceland

Abstract The proportion of non-secretors of ABH blood-group substances among Icelanders is one of the highest recorded for European countries. Dental caries prevalence is also very high. In this study of dental caries in young adults mean number of decayed, missing and filled teeth for secretors were 17.4 and for non-secretors 19.9 ( P < 0.05). A majority of patients seeking free dental treatment in the Dental School were non-secretors (62.7%) significantly more than the proportion of non-secretors in the general population (36%; P < 0.01). It is postulated that blood group substances may interfere with the adherence of Streptococcus mutants to teeth.     

Edentulism and dental caries in Victorian nursing homes

doi: 10.1111/j.1741‐2358.2011.00510.x Edentulism and dental caries in Victorian nursing homes Objectives: The aim of this project was to investigate edentulism and dental caries in nursing home residents in Victoria, Australia. Background: The Australian population is ageing with a growing number of people living in nursing homes. These residents are at increased risk for dental caries, have more teeth present now than at any time in the past 50 years and often have difficulty maintaining adequate oral hygiene. Materials and methods: Clinical dental examinations were conducted at 31 nursing homes in Melbourne and regional Victoria between May 2005 and June 2006. A total of 510 residents were examined out of 1345 eligible participants. Socio‐demographic and medical history was collected via questionnaire. Results: Just over half of the residents were dentate (53.9%), and dentate residents had a mean of 14.4 teeth present and 2.66 untreated decayed teeth. Residents who required total assistance with oral hygiene had more decayed teeth and fewer filled teeth than residents who did not require assistance. Conclusions: Nursing home residents in Victoria are retaining an increasing number of natural teeth and have more tooth surfaces at risk for dental caries. Untreated dental caries was a significant problem for residents, particularly for those who are dependent on others for their daily oral hygiene care.     

儿童牙齿表面的菌群分布与龋齿的关系

本实验从幼儿园和小学一年级的学生中选择５－８岁的无龋齿和有龋齿的儿童各４５例,进行牙齿表面的菌群分布与龋齿关系的研究,结果在有龋组中分离到变形链球菌８株,放线菌６株及拟杆菌２６株,而在无龋组中未分离到变形链球菌,分离到放线菌１株,拟杆菌１４株,两组比较,以上三种菌有显著差异（Ｘ２检验Ｐ＜０．０５）。说明除变形链球菌是主要的致龋菌外〔１,２〕,还应考虑放线菌和拟杆菌在龋齿发生上的作用。此外,我们还发现两组的兼性厌氧菌的分布也有所不同,无龋组中分离到棒状杆菌２９株,而有龋组中分离到棒状杆菌１１株,小肠结肠炎耶尔森氏菌７株,两组也有明显差异,故我们认为龋齿发生的原因可能是多方面的,就病原菌来说,也可能是多种细菌的混合作用,从两组兼性厌氧菌与无芽胞厌氧菌的分布不同来看,亦应考虑龋齿的发生与口腔内生态平衡有关     

Relation between medicines sweetened with sucrose and dental disease.

The teeth of 44 children aged under 6 years who had been taking syrup medicines regularly for at least six months were compared with those of a control group of 47 children of similar ages. Dental disease was assessed by measuring dental caries, dental plaque, and gingivitis. The children who were receiving sucrose-based medicines had significantly more carious teeth and gingivitis. It is concluded that sucrose-based medicines continuously administered to children cause dental caries and gingivitis. Liquid medicines for children should be either unsweetened or sweetened with non-cariogenic substances.