Food That Causes Tooth Decay

Foods that cause tooth decay

Any food that contains sugars or other carbohydrates that can be metabolized by bacteria in plaque is described as cariogenic (producing or promoting dental decay). For instance, refined carbohydrates, such as candy and other sweets, are cariogenic.

A major factor in determining the cariogenicity of a carbohydrate is how long the food stays in the mouth. Sugary liquids such as soft drinks leave the mouth quickly and are not as cariogenic as sticky foods, such as raisins or caramels, which adhere to the teeth and stay in the mouth longer. Furthermore, the frequency with which cariogenic food is more likely to develop decay than is the child who eats a large amount or cariogenic food, but only once a day.

Foods such as crackers, although not sweet, are cariogenic because they contain refined carbohydrates that stick to the teeth. They remain in the mouth long enough to be broken down into the sugars that can be used by bacteria.

Another important factor in determining cariogenicity is whether or not the food stimulates the flow of saliva. Salivary flow serves two functions:
(1) It speeds clearance of food from the mouth, and
(2) it provides a source of dietary fluoride to strengthen the tooth and assist in remineralization.

Saliva is like a miracle fluid that provides physical, chemical, and antibacterial protective measures for the teeth.
The physical protection is dependent on the water content in the saliva and the amount or flow of saliva. If enough saliva is present, it provides a cleansing effect.

The chemical protection provided by saliva is especially important because saliva contains calcium. The antibacterial protection provided by saliva depends on substances found within the saliva, such as immunoglobulins, that work against bacteria.
Torres and Ehrlich Modern Dental Assisting, ( 2009), ( D.L. Bird D.S. Robinson, Eds.) St Louis, Sau