2023-06-14 14:00:00
Dental caries may have a new handler. American researchers have discovered, in fact, that a bacterial species called Selenomonas sputigena can play an important role in causing tooth decay in children. Until now Streptococcus mutans, which forms plaque and produces acid, has always been considered as the main cause of caries, while in the study published in ‘Nature Communications’ researchers from the University of Pennsylvania School of dental medicine and the University of North Carolina have demonstrated that Selenomonas sputigena, previously associated only with gum disease, may function as a key partner of Streptococcus mutans.
“This was an unexpected finding that gives us new insights into caries development, highlights potential future targets for prevention, and reveals new mechanisms of bacterial biofilm formation that may be relevant in other clinical settings,” commented study co-author Hyun Michel Koo, of Penn Dental Medicine. The findings, according to Koo, show a more complex microbial interaction than previously thought and provide a better understanding of how childhood cavities develop, an understanding that could lead to better ways to prevent cavities.
The researchers now plan to study in more detail how this mobile anaerobic bacterium ends up in the aerobic environment of the tooth surface.
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