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Diet
Factors that promote demineralization
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| Not only sweets cause dental caries |
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Carbohydrates are one of the three major nutrients to maintain a healthy body.
Carbohydrates are contained in various foods such as rice and bread. Many acidogenic bacteria metabolize more complex carbohydrates to produce simple sugars
and finally acids. Sugars, especially sucrose derived from carbohydrates, have long been regarded as important in the development of dental caries .Not only do bacteria such as mutans streptococci use sucrose as a nutrient from which acids are metabolized, but they also utilize sucrose to produce water insoluble glucans. For this reason the relationship between sugar intake and the prevention of dental caries has been extensively investigated.
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A high frequency of sugar intake is more problematic
than the amount of sugar taken at any one time
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The oral environment differs before and after food intake, sometimes dramatically. Since most foods and beverages contain sugars, oral bacteria metabolize this to produce acids after a meal or snack.
 This acid then lowers the pH of the mouth and creates an acid environment, in which the teeth can begin to demineralize. As can be seen from the diagram on the right, the more frequently you eat or drink, the longer time the teeth are potentially exposed to the acid environment and the greater risk of demineralization, leading to dental caries.
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