Could Alkali Production Be Considered an Approach for Caries Control?

Abstract

This study investigated the relationship of arginine deiminase (ADS) and urease activities with dental caries through a case-control study. ADS and urease activities were measured in dental smooth-surface supragingival plaque and whole saliva samples from 93 subjects, who were in three different groups: caries-free (n = 31), caries-active (n = 30), and caries-experienced (n = 32). ADS activity was measured by quantification of the ammonia generated from the incubation of plaque and saliva samples in a mixture containing 50 mM arginine-HCl and 50 mM Tris-maleate buffer, pH 6.0. ADS-specific activity was defined as nanomoles of ammonia generated per minute per milligram of protein. Urease activity was determined by quantification of ammonia produced from 50 mM urea. For bacterial identification and enumeration real-time qPCR analysis was used. Groups were compared using Kruskal-Wallis tests. Spearman correlations were used to analyze plaque metabolic activity and bacterial relationships. The results revealed significantly higher ammonia production from arginine in saliva (1.06 vs. 0.18; p < 0.0001) and plaque samples (1.74 vs. 0.58; p < 0.0001) from caries-free subjects compared to caries-active subjects. Urease levels were about 3-fold higher in the plaque of caries-free subjects (p < 0.0001). Although higher urease activity in saliva of caries-experienced and caries-free subjects was evident, no significant difference was found between the groups.

Two-Year Caries Clinical Study of the Efficacy of Novel Dentifrices Containing 1.5% Arginine, an Insoluble Calcium Compound and 1,450 ppm Fluoride

“…Firstly, in situ ammonia production from salivary arginine via the arginine deiminase system in dental plaque is positively associated with reduced caries experience [Nascimento et al, 2009;Gordan et al, 2010], indicating the importance of ammonia production in caries prevention. Further, it has been shown that fluoride-free toothpaste containing 1.5% arginine significantly increased arginine deiminase system activity in caries-active individuals, indicating that exogenous arginine can reduce caries risk by increasing arginine deiminase system activity [Nascimento et al, 2009].…”

Dental Plaques: Microbial Community of the Oral Cavity

“…Sugar substitutes instead of dietary sugar are a better option as these cannot be directly broken down by bacteria and this in turn reduces the acid production. Supplements like arginine or urea can be used that are metabolized by plaque bacteria to alkali which in turn increases the pH which inhibits the acid producers ultimately reducing the acid production [47,48]. In silico approaches have been used to validate the significance of pH based on the degree of acid buffering capacity.…”

Técnica De Reacción De Polimerasa en Cadena (Qpcr) en Tiempo Real Para La Identificación Y Cuantificación De Streptococcus Mutans en Saliva Y Biopelícula Dentaria De Niños

“…9 Obtención de saliva: Se colectaron 5 mL de saliva no estimulada, en la mañana, en un tubo de plástico estéril de 15 mL, mantenido a 4 °C hasta su traslado al laboratorio de química (Facultad de Odontología, Universidad de Chile). La saliva se transfirió a tubos de centrífuga de 1,5 mL para su posterior análisis en el laboratorio de Microbiología (Facultad de Odontología, Universidad de Chile).…”

“…9 Saliva collection: 5 mL of non-stimulated saliva were collected in the morning in a 15 mL sterile plastic tube, which was maintained at 4 °C until brought to the Chemistry Laboratory (School of Dentistry, Universidad de Chile). The saliva was transferred to 1.5 mL centrifuge tubes for further analysis in the Microbiology Laboratory (School of Dentistry, Universidad de Chile).…”

“…[6][7][8] Other alkalis-producing microbiota has been identified as it influences pH balance and the oral microbiome, such as Streptococcus sanguinis, Streptococcus gordonii, Streptococcus salivarius and A naeslundii, to name just a few. [9][10][11] The deleterious activity of S. mutans spp. is associated with its ability to produce lactic acid from sucrose, reaching levels capable of causing the loss of minerals in teeth.…”