New Suspect in Early Tooth Decay

INTELIHEALTH - Boston-area researchers may have found a new culprit in early tooth decay.

We all know that cause of tooth decay is evidently a species of bacteria called Streptococcus mutans, which eats sugars and releases acid, leading to the tooth enamel dissolving that in result leads to a cavity. You might have heard about a couple of other species of bacteria associated with cavity formation, as well.

But a new study claims that even when Streptococcus mutans is not present, the risk of cavities still exists, as another species named Scardovia wiggsiae can lead to its formation.

The research was held by researchers from the Forsyth Institute and Harvard, Boston and Tufts universities. "They looked at bacteria found in the dental plaque of 42 children who had early childhood caries. This is the name given to tooth decay in toddler and preschool children. It can spread quickly and be severe. They also looked at bacteria from the plaque of 40 children who had no cavities," reports InteliHealth News Service.

The new techniques of growing and identifying the bacteria were used during the study, considering the fact that these methods have not been used ever before.

The research showed that 5 types of bacteria were more common in the children with decay than in children without, taking into account that 4 of them were already known to be associated with cavities and the other 3 are not able to cause cavities on their own. The 5th one was a Scardovia wiggsiae, considering the fact that it was found in children with decay even when Streptococcus mutans was not found, which means that it might cause tooth decay on its own. Source