Próchnica zębów : od czasów starożytnych do współczesności

The history of caries is long and dates back to the Bronze Age. The increase in the prevalence of dental caries had its beginning in the Neolithic period and was associated with a change in the lifestyle and diet. Growing crops – mainly carbohydrate-rich crops – significantly increased the percentage of people who developed dental caries. Yet, despite the growing knowledge gained, the presence of microorganisms was not linked with the occurrence of diseases. Robert Koch proved this link during his studies on mycobacterium tuberculosis. These days, the etiology of most diseases is well known, and much of them are of bacterial origin. According to WHO , modern definition of caries defines it as a pathological process of extracorporeal origin that leads to decalcification and proteolytic degradation of the hard tissues of the tooth. Determination of the presence of active bacterial plaque on the tooth surface is one of the caries diagnostic methods. This plaque is composed of saprophytic bacterial strains colonizing the oral cavity and forming a three-dimensional structure anchored to the solid surfaces and embedded in an exo-polysaccharide matrix. The ability to form such a complex structure is attributed to, among others, Streptococcus mutans that is one of the major etiologic factors of this disease. Despite the development of prevention and various methods of treatment over the centuries, the problem of the disease is still valid.