RESUMEN
Nuestros estudios epidemiológicos, e inclusive la experiencia de los clínicos, han demostrado reiteradamente que las superficies oclusales de los molares constituyen la localización más frecuente de las caries dentales en niños y adolescentes. El esclarecimiento de las causas que lo determinan es esencial para el desarrollo de diferentes estrategias preventivas. En la última década, diferentes autores han revisado las causas que determinan esta susceptibilidad y a la luz de las nuevas investigaciones se jerarquiza la importancia del examen clínico visual y del control durante los denominados periodos eruptivos o de riesgo (AU)
Asunto(s)
Adolescente , Niño , Preescolar , Caries Dental/epidemiología , Fisuras Dentales/diagnóstico , Fisuras Dentales/epidemiología , Fisuras Dentales/etiología , Susceptibilidad a Caries Dentarias , Caries Dental/diagnóstico por imagen , Pruebas de Actividad de Caries Dental/métodos , Esmalte Dental/métodos , Erupción Dental/fisiología , Dentina/fisiología , Placa Dental/microbiología , Biopelículas , Fluoruros Tópicos/uso terapéuticoRESUMEN
The relationship among daily sugar exposure, dental plaque composition and caries patterns in the primary dentition is not known. Three groups of 20 children (18-48 months old) were studied: (1) caries-free (CF), (2) presenting pit and fissure caries (PFC), and (3) with nursing caries (NC). Dental caries index (dmfs) was assessed and the frequency of daily sugar exposure (TS) and its forms were estimated by questionnaires. Fluoride (F), calcium (Ca), inorganic phosphorus (P(i)), insoluble polysaccharide (IP) and mutans streptococci were quantified in dental plaque. The three groups of children were statistically different regarding daily sugar exposure. Concentrations of F, Ca and P(i) were lower and the IP and mutans streptococci statistically higher in dental plaque from NC children than those from CF children. PFC children also showed statistically lower F and P levels in their plaque than CF children. Statistically significant correlations were found between IP, TS and dmfs from NC and PFC children. A statistically significant correlation between mutans streptococci in plaque from anterior teeth and dmfs for NC children was also observed. These results suggest that the dietary sugar experience changes the biochemical and microbiological composition of dental plaque, which could partly explain the different caries patterns observed in primary dentition.