Dental caries and the microbial ecology of dental plaque: a review of recent advances

Our understanding of the microbial ecology of dental plaque has rapidly grown with recent developments in the techniques of molecular biology. In particular, knowledge of the mechanisms underlying the acquisition, establishment, pathogenicity, and evolution of the group of organisms responsible for...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inNew Zealand dental journal Vol. 96; no. 424; p. 44
Main Authors Simmonds, R S, Tompkins, G R, George, R J
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published New Zealand 01.06.2000
Subjects
Adaptation, Biological
Animals
Bacterial Adhesion
Bacterial Vaccines
Bacteriocins - biosynthesis
Dental Caries - microbiology
Dental Plaque - microbiology
Ecosystem
Genes, Bacterial
Glucosyltransferases - metabolism
Humans
Immunoglobulin A, Secretory - immunology
Salivary Proteins and Peptides - immunology
Streptococcus - genetics
Streptococcus - metabolism
Streptococcus - pathogenicity
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Summary:Our understanding of the microbial ecology of dental plaque has rapidly grown with recent developments in the techniques of molecular biology. In particular, knowledge of the mechanisms underlying the acquisition, establishment, pathogenicity, and evolution of the group of organisms responsible for dental caries--the mutans streptococci--has expanded to the point that we can now contemplate new opportunities for caries prevention. These advances reinforce developing concepts of dental plaque as an interdependent, interacting community of specialised organisms with an ability to rapidly adapt conferred by gene structures that facilitate the expeditious modular rearrangement of protein components.
ISSN:0028-8047