DentalCariesVaccines:Prospects andConcerns

Abstract

Dental caries remains one of the most common infectious diseases of mankind. Cariogenic micro-organisms enter the dental biofilm early in life and can subsequently emerge, under favorable environmental conditions, to cause disease. In oral fluids, adaptive host defenses aroused by these infections are expressed in the saliva and gingival crevicular fluid. This review will focus on methods by which mucosal host defenses can be induced by immunization to interfere with dental caries caused by mutans streptococci. The natural history of mutans streptococcal colonization is described in the context of the ontogeny of mucosal immunity to these and other indigenous oral streptococci. Molecular targets for dental caries vaccines are explored for their effectiveness in intact protein and subunit (synthetic peptide, recombinant and conjugate) vaccines in pre-clinical studies. Recent progress in the development of mucosal adjuvants and viable and non-viable delivery systems for dental caries vaccines is described. Finally, the results of clinical trials are reviewed, followed by a discussion of the prospects and concerns of human application of the principles presented.

Soluble toll like receptor 2 (TLR-2) is increased in saliva of children with dental caries

“…Based on its strong association with caries incidence multiple studies evaluated salivary levels of S.mutans for caries risk prediction with variable results [ 1 , 32 ]. The polymicrobial etiology of dental caries as well as the interaction between salivary proteins and S.mutans could contribute to the variability [ 30 , 33 ].…”

“…Dental caries is a multifactorial infectious disease caused by complex interactions between the acid-producing bacteria, fermentable carbohydrates and host factors. Despite being largely preventable, it remains as the most prevalent chronic disease globally [ 1 ]. Recent systematic analyses suggest that the incidence of caries exhibits an increasing trend in children aged 2–4 years in the United States [ 2 ].…”

“…In addition considerable emphasis is placed on developing efficient caries risk assessment strategies to determine the likelihood of an individual developing new carious lesion and/or to determine the status of the caries process on individual tooth surfaces [ 4 , 5 ]. As disease of the mineralized tissues of the teeth, pathogenesis of caries involves demineralization of enamel by acid producing bacteria and destruction of the organic substance resulting in cavitation [ 1 , 4 ].…”

Salivary Tumor Necrosis Factor-Alpha and Dental Caries in Children and Adolescents

“…Dental caries is one of the most common infectious diseases of the oral cavity (1)(2)(3)(4) and one of the most common diseases during childhood (5), with several factors affecting its onset and progression (6). Caries result from complex interactions between acid-producing bacteria, fermentable carbohydrates, and host factors (3), and the prevalence of caries is increasing among children and adults in developing countries (3). In spite of the fact that it is highly preventable, it is still considered as the most common chronic disease, worldwide (3).…”

“…Caries result from complex interactions between acid-producing bacteria, fermentable carbohydrates, and host factors (3), and the prevalence of caries is increasing among children and adults in developing countries (3). In spite of the fact that it is highly preventable, it is still considered as the most common chronic disease, worldwide (3).…”