Intake of sweet foods by children as a risk factor of metabolic disturbances occurring in tooth enamel and a possibility to improve dental health
Authors:   N.N.Burdenko Voronezh State Medical University, Voronezh, Russian Federation, Ippolitov Yu.A. , Khavkin A.I. ,   Yu.E.Veltishchev Research and Clinical Institute of Paediatrics, Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University, Moscow, Russian Federation, Goloshchapov D.L. ,   Voronezh State University, Voronezh, Russian Federation, Aleshina E.O. ,   N.N.Burdenko Voronezh State Medical University, Voronezh, Russian Federation, Berkovich M.V. ,   N.N.Burdenko Voronezh State Medical University, Voronezh, Russian Federation
Published: January 2022

Objective. To determine the specificity of sweet food intake by adolescents of the city of Voronezh in accordance with the European Global Oral Health Indicators Development (EGOHID 2005), taking into consideration their morphobiochemical studies of dental plaque and dental enamel. Patients and methods. Dental examination of 200 schoolchildren of Voronezh aged 12–15 years without concomitant somatic pathologies was performed, and in most of them pigmented fissures were visualised on the chewing surfaces of the teeth, which corresponded to enamel or dentinal caries. Also, an anonymous survey was conducted using the WHO questionnaires (2013). The EGOHID 2005 system was used to assess the objective and subjective criteria of the dental health of children and adolescents. For verification of the morphological structures of the enamel of 15 teeth extracted due to orthodontical indications we used x-ray spectroscopy with microchemical analysis. Biopolymers and hyaluronic acid were determined by light microscopy. Quantitative assessment of stained microscopic specimens of tooth slices was based on the ImageJ program. Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) in smears of dental plaque were detected using a clinical microscopic method with ferric chloride. We assessed the cariogenic potential of dental plaque immediately and 1 hour after intake of one candy using a colorimetric assay with assessment of a change in methylene red stain on the teeth according to a 3-point scale. Results. During a sample survey conducted among children and adolescents, the prevalence of tooth caries was 84%, sweets were often consumed by 79% of children, sweet beverages by 58%, as a rule, between main meals. The cariogenic potential of dental plaque in children who consumed sweets during meals increases to 3 on the 3-point scale, the content of SCFAs in this plaque corresponds to 0.10 ± 0.05 OD units. After one hour, the cariogenic potential of dental plaque decreased to 1 point, the SCFAs content increased to 0.32 ± 0.01. Conclusion. Frequent consumption of fast-absorbing carbohydrates promoted formation of a cariogenic condition in the mouth, therefore, intake of sweets can be recommended only during breakfast, lunch and dinner. The main principle of correcting the eating behaviour for prevention of enamel caries consists in replacement of sugar-containing foods and beverages that are consumed during intervals between main meals by such with no added sugar. Key words: dental bacterial plaque, dental canaliculus, biopolymers and hyaluronic acid of enamel, fast-absorbing carbohydrates, dental plaque, biofilm