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Food starches and dental caries.
P Lingström1, J van Houte, S Kashket
1Department of Cariology, Institute of Odontology, Göteborg University, Sweden.
Summary
Processed food starches may contribute to dental caries, especially when consumed with sugars and at high frequency. While not always cariogenic, their role in modern diets requires further investigation due to varying food compositions and consumption patterns.
Area of Science:
- Dental Public Health
- Nutrition Science
- Cariology
Background:
- Sucrose is a known cause of dental caries, but the role of dietary starches remains debated.
- Dental caries etiology involves multiple factors including carbohydrate exposure, microbial activity, and host defenses.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the current understanding of the relationship between food starch consumption and dental caries development.
- To evaluate the cariogenic potential of processed food starches in modern diets.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on animal studies, human plaque pH response, and enamel demineralization.
- Analysis of contrasting dietary and lifestyle patterns associated with different caries activity levels.
Main Results:
- Processed food starches demonstrate cariogenic potential in laboratory and animal studies.
- Human studies show low caries activity when starches are consumed with low sugar intake and infrequent meals.
- The cariogenicity of starches in modern diets, characterized by high sugar intake and frequent eating, is uncertain.
Conclusions:
- Food starches may contribute to dental caries, particularly in modern dietary contexts with high sugar consumption and frequent eating.
- The term 'dietary starch content' is imprecise; focus on individual starchy food cariogenicity is needed.
- Further research is required on starch bioavailability, retentive properties, consumption frequency, and impact on root caries.