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  1. Home
  2. Our marvelous microbiota
  3. Cavities: Russian roulette or bad bacteria?
Our marvelous microbiota

Cavities: Russian roulette or bad bacteria?

Oral condition
The ENT microbiota Pediatric disorders Diet

Oral health is not a game of Russian roulette...but rather a question of establishing good bacteria between 6 and 18 months of age, and therefore of appropriate hygiene and diet. A parental effort to avoid the dentist’s drill!

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About this article

Created 26 January 2025
Updated 30 January 2025

The dentist’s drill: the word alone is enough to make many of us break out in a cold sweat. And to make us fear a situation that is unfortunately commonplace in our society: 2 billion people suffer from cavities of their permanent teeth, and 514 million children suffer from cavities of their baby teeth. Even though oral diseases are largely preventable, they are very expensive for our healthcare systems. For this reason, researchers are actively seeking ways to counter them. Among the strategies is the oral microbiota.

02.08.2021 The ENT microbiota Read more

In fact, our oral health could go hand-in-hand with the presence of certain oral bacteria: the friendly nitrate-reducing bacteria of the genera Neisseria and Haemophilus could ward off dental cavities and (sidenote: Periodontal disease Periodontal diseases affect the tissues that both surround and support the teeth. The disease is characterized by bleeding or swollen gums (gingivitis), pain and sometimes bad breath.  In its more severe form, the gum can come away from the tooth and supporting bone, causing teeth to become loose and sometimes fall out Explore WHO ) , while F. nucleatum is thought to be associated with periodontal disease, plaque and bad breath.

Actu GP : Microbiote oral et grand âge : un jus de betterave - et des nitrates -, et ça repart ? 01.07.2021 The oral microbiota and old age: a fresh start with a glass of nitrate-rich beetroot juice Read more

But when and how do these bacteria colonize our mouths and determine what happens to our teeth? Very early, seems to be the answer, from a Japanese study 1 published at the end of 2024.

3.5 billion Oral diseases (dental caries, periodontal diseases, tooth loss and oral cancers) affect nearly 3.5 billion people.²

2 billion 2 billion people suffer from caries of permanent teeth and 514 million children suffer from caries of primary teeth.²

Brushing from the first tooth!

At 1 week of age, when the child is fed milk , the oral microbiota appears to be quite immature. But the situation soon changes: between 6 and 18 months, following the introduction of the first solid foods and the appearance of the first teeth, a baby's oral microbiota become comparable to that of an adult!

19% Severe periodontal diseases are estimated to affect around 19% of the global adult population, representing more than 1 billion cases worldwide.²

20% Only 20% of those surveyed in 2024 said they know exactly what the oral microbiota is (+3 points vs. 2023).³

Most importantly, our bacterial allies—Neisseria and Haemophilus—and the dreaded Fusobacterium have already moved in. With a long-term lease: after the age of 36 months, a child's oral microbiota hardly evolves at all.

08.11.2023 Microbiota imbalance at age one predicts allergies at age five Read more

Thus, everything seems to come into play before the child's 3rd birthday, or even between 6 and 18 months: this short window of maturation of the oral microbiota seems to be essential for the future prevention of oral diseases such as cavities. And for our future dental bills!

In other words, from the age of 6 months and the appearance of the first teeth, oral hygiene and tooth brushing are essential—as is limiting sugar (sweets, syrups, juices, etc.), which feeds cavities!!

My family, my roommates, my neighbors... and my microbiota

Learn more
Sources

1. Yama K, Morishima S, Tsutsumi K et al. Oral Microbiota Development in the First 60 Months: A Longitudinal Study. J Dent Res. 2024 Nov;103(12):1249-1257. 

2. https://www.who.int/fr/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/oral-health

3. https://www.biocodexmicrobiotainstitute.com/en/international-microbiota-observatory/2024

Tags
Microbiome Flora Oral microbiota ENT microbiota Cavity Baby Family Immunity Tooth Teeth

    See also

    Tasting the difference: how our oral microbiota influences flavor perception
    Tell me about your baby’s gut microbiota and I’ll tell you how well it sleeps
    Created 26 January 2025
    Updated 30 January 2025

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