What is Stephen curve in dentistry?
What is the Stephan Curve? The Stephan Curve is a graph that shows what happens after the consumption of sugar in relation to dental caries. We advise patients that they should stick to 4-5 acid attacks (i.e. instances of sugar intake) a day to allow remineralisation and reduce the possibility of caries occurring.
What does the Stephan curve represent?
The significance of a Stephan curve shows that the plaque pH curve will drop a lot and quickly after the consumption of fermentable carbohydrates. And then it will drop below what we call a critical pH, in which case the demineralization of the tooth enamel minerals will occur.
How is Stephan curve measured?
Introduction. Stephan curve illustrates the change in oral pH within few minutes in response to a cariogenic challenge, which is mainly caused by the bacterial metabolism of sugar-rich food. Therefore, the cariogenicity is measured as the area delimited by the Critical pH and the Stephan Curve[3].
Should you brush your teeth immediately after eating Stephen curve?
The Stephan curve graph [15] shows plaque pH change in oral cavity as time goes. Therefore, ‘1’ of 1-2-3 Brushing Campaign means that teeth should be brushed within 1 minute after finishing a meal.
What affects the Stephan curve?
What affects the Stephan Curve? How often you eat and drink. This is the most obvious aspect of the curve. The more separate occasions that you eat or drink, the more acid environments you create.
What is incipient caries?
What Is an Incipient Lesion? Repeated exposure to bacterial acids in your mouth eventually causes tooth enamel to demineralize, and these areas of early decay are called incipient lesions or caries.
What can slow or prevent the caries process?
To prevent tooth decay: Brush your teeth at least twice a day with a fluoride-containing toothpaste. Preferably, brush after each meal and especially before going to bed. Clean between your teeth daily with dental floss or interdental cleaners, such as the Oral-B Interdental Brush, Reach Stim-U-Dent, or Sulcabrush.
What happens if you brush immediately after eating?
If you have consumed something acidic, you should avoid brushing your teeth for about 30 minutes afterwards. Foods that contain citric acid, like oranges, grapefruits and lemons, can soften tooth enamel for a time, and brushing too soon after eating them may damage the enamel while it’s in its weakened state.
Which deciduous teeth are most vulnerable to early childhood caries?
Process of early childhood tooth decay The upper four front baby teeth are most commonly affected. Other names used to refer to this condition include ‘nursing bottle caries’, ‘infant feeding caries’ and ‘baby bottle decay’.
Can incipient caries go away?
Management of Incipient Caries Remineralization techniques can stop or reverse the decay process in its initial stages. As long as incipient caries are free of bacteria, topical fluoride treatments and sealant applications are the best methods of remineralization.
How is the Stephan curve used in Caries Research?
The Stephan Curve has played a dominant role in caries research over the past several decades. What is so remarkable about the Stephan Curve is the plethora of interactions it illustrates and yet acid production remains the dominant focus. Using sophisticated technology, it is possible to measure pH …
What do you need to know about the Stephan curve?
What is the Stephan Curve? The Stephan Curve is something we learnt about at dental school- it shows the effect of eating and drinking in your mouth clearly in a graphical form and is crucial in helping you understand dental decay.
How does Stephan curve help with your dental care?
Your teeth are deminerising for longer and the risk of getting cavities much greater. There are ways to help with dry mouth if you suffer from this condition. The amount of bacteria (plaque). If you keep your mouth nice and clean then there is less bacteria around to feed on the sugars in the food and on the drinks you consume.
Which is the best classification for dental caries?
43. “ Forward-backward” classification is considered as graphical representation of the pathway of dental caries. ENAMEL First component of enamel to be involved in carious process is the interprismatic substance .
