A dentist's command to \spit"" may be more than a mere order to rid your mouth of extraneous fluid. Scientists have recently designed a test that uses saliva to predict not only the number of cavities an individual will develop, but also in which teeth these cavities will occur.
The Caries Assessment and Risk Evaluation test measures the relative proportions of sugar chains in a child's saliva to determine the approximate number of cavities she will get in her lifetime. Researchers at the University of Southern California, where the test was conducted, suggest the test can predict, with 98 percent certainty, the total number of cavities an individual will develop.
The research was led by Paul Denny, professor at the USC School of Dentistry, who said the test is most effective when applied to toddlers to predict their cavity future.
""When we apply this to young children, it allows us to predict ... the number of cavities that they'll get by, say, their late 20s or early 30s,"" Denny said in a prepared news release.
The basis for cavities and tooth decay lies in the genetic makeup of salivary oligosaccharides.
According to Bassam Shakhashiri, UW-Madison chemistry professor, ""Oligosaccharides are short chains of sugar molecules,"" most of which ""are not good for the teeth, which is why brushing, flossing and especially rinsing will help reduce tooth decay.""
Shakhashiri added that oligosaccharides, like all sugars, are water-soluble molecules, which explains why they are constantly present in saliva.
Though most of us are accustomed to the adage, ""sugar will rot your teeth,"" this belief is not entirely true. Like good and bad cholesterol, some salivary sugars are actually beneficial to your teeth, helping to repel cavity-causing bacteria. The CARE test detects the presence of both the good and bad sugar complexes and allows researches to accurately predict a child's cavity future.
A different version of the CARE test can even predict which teeth are most at risk, allowing for early preventive measures.
Mary Reinsmoen, Madison Family Dental administrator, hopes that knowledge of this study will encourage parents to ""get kids in [to the dentist] earlier and on a more regular basis.""
The ability to detect problem teeth could help dentists identify which ones to monitor, she said, suggesting that dentists could preemptively apply sealants to those teeth to prevent decay.
