On the Relationship between Calculus and Caries

Abstract

From a mechanistic viewpoint it is reasonable to anticipate an inverse clinical relationship between calculus and caries. Calculus formation is essentially a mineralisation process. The development of a caries lesion is the result of the net demineralisation of tooth enamel by plaque acid. These processes both involve crystalline calcium phosphate phases in contact with liquid, saliva and/or plaque fluid, containing their constituent ions. The oral environment also contains other salivary constituents and bacteria, which either inhibit or promote crystal growth or dissolution.An inverse relationship would mean that the absence of calculus could be a useful predictor of caries. Historically, however, any calculus-caries relationship has often been obscured by other factors. Firstly, the prevalence of both calculus and caries increases with increasing age [1, 2] and, second, both conditions are expected to correlate positively with poor oral hygiene [3][4][5]. These trends could be the reason why Schroeder [1] found no consistent relationship between clinical observations of calculus and caries experience in the first major review of the topic.The main purpose of this chapter is to review data from several clinical trials sponsored by Unilever, in which both caries and supra-gingival calculus were assessed concomitantly, in order to assess the strength of any empirical relationship between the two conditions. These data are presented in the following section 1.2, together with the results of other relevant published studies. To provide background information against which to judge the findings derived from the clinical data, calculus formation and caries are then briefly described Chapter 1

A microbiological study in relation to the presence of caries and calculus

“…Many clinical studies have been performed on the aetiology and epidemiology of caries and calculus processes. While early studies by Stones et al [17] and by Little et al [18] did not find an inverse relation between caries and calculus formation, later reports support the hypothesis of an inverse relation at the population level [19][20][21][22]. No inverse relation in the whole group of 100 children was found in the present study.…”

Nuevos datos sobre salud oral y dieta en entierros secundarios del área fundacional de Mendoza (Siglos XVII-XIX)

“…Composición de la muestra analizada Table 1. Composition of the sample analyzed principales factores que afectan a la prevalencia de cálculo se relacionan con las prácticas de higiene oral (Duckworth y Huntington 2006;Lieverse, 1999;Waldron, 2009). En esta investigación, el cálculo es categorizado según el método de Brothwell (1981) en tres etapas: leve (grado A), moderado (grado B) y fuerte (grado C).…”

Dental Calculus Arrest of Dental Caries

“…Other studies have failed to find a significant relationship between dental calculus and dental caries [16,17], but their conclusions may have been affected by small sample sizes, and inadequate accounting for potential confounding factors like poor oral hygiene and olderaged study subjects [16,17].…”

“…Leonard noted in 1926 that, "One seldom finds caries in the mouths of big eaters where much calculus is present, certainly never in the same areas with it" [15]. In six dentifrice clinical trials conducted between 1970-1986 and involving 6,284 children aged 11-13 years, dental caries prevalence at baseline, and its subsequent incidence over a three-year longitudinal period, was found on average to be 16-20% lower in children with supragingival dental calculus deposits, independent of fluoride exposure [16]. In another dentifrice clinical trial of 437 adults aged 20-65 years and selected for their propensity to form dental calculus, statistically significant negative correlation coefficients were found on an individual subject basis between mean three-month dental calculus increment assessments and mean caries prevalence scores [17].…”