Research progress on the relationship between free sugars and caries

Abstract

Caries is a chronic infectious disease that occurs in the hard tissues of teeth. The interaction of oral microorganisms, host, food and time leads to the occurrence and progression of caries. Free sugar is an important food factor in the occurrence of dental caries. This paper reviews the research progress on the relationship between free sugar and caries in recent years, providing a reference for further clarifying the mechanism of the occurrence and progression of caries caused by free sugar and exploring the methods of caries prevention. The cariogenic mechanism of free sugar is multifaceted. Free sugar can not only be used by oral microorganisms in dental plaque biofilms to produce acid and synthesize intracellular and extracellular polysaccharides but also cause an imbalance in oral microecology and enhance gene expression related to the cariogenic toxicity of oral microorganisms. Based on the correlation between free sugar and caries, it is important to limit the intake amount and frequency of free sugar to prevent caries. This can be achieved mainly by formulating public health policies for reducing sugar, creating a low-sugar family environment with good eating habits, using sugar substitutes and using fluoride. There are few studies on the relationship between free sugar and oral microecology. More research is needed to better understand the effect of free sugar on oral microecology and its mechanism and to validate the caries-preventing effect of various sugar reduction measures. We believe such studies would open up new avenues for the effective prevention of caries.

Keywords

• free sugars
• caries
• dental plaque biofilm
• microbes
• metabolism
• oral microecology
• cariogenic mechanism
• caries prevention