Deterministic Modeling of the Issue of Dental Caries and Oral Bacterial Growth: A Brief Review

Abstract

Dental caries is a chronic disease that mostly interferes with oral health worldwide. It is caused by acidic bacteria on the enamel surface, mainly Streptococcus mutans, forming an oral biofilm that can be transmitted among people. The spread behavior and population dynamics of bacteria must be studied to control this disease, which can be approached through mathematical modeling. In this review, we aimed to identify the utilization of compartmental models in studying bacterial behavior. The aim was to explore compartmental model utilization and reveal the research gaps. This study was conducted with the PRISMA guidelines for scoping reviews to identify an existing mathematical model to study the phenomenon. Four databases, Scopus, ScienceDirect, PubMed, and Dimensions, were used to search for related studies. Our results showed that compartmental model utilization for studying bacteria’s role in dental caries is sparse and poorly explained. Moreover, the constructed models have not yet considered more intervention efforts. A study is needed to explore this phenomenon by developing a mathematical model considering some situations. When conducted, it will result in more insights into controlling the spread of bacteria to prevent dental caries.

Keywords

• dental caries
• compartmental model
• oral biofilm
• <i>Streptococcus mutans</i>