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In my continuing review of the dental primary literature and frequent consultation with dentists (my professors), I have found that genetics actually play a min

In my continuing review of the dental primary literature and frequent consultation with dentists (my professors), I have found that genetics actually play a minor role in the frequency that an individual develops dental caries lesions. More important factors include: (1) frequency and dose of fluoride (2) bacterial ecology of the mouth (possibly related to genetics, but also inextricably linked to the environment to which the individual has been exposed since birth) (3) FREQUENCY of meals -- look up "Stephan Curve" or the unethical "Vipeholm Study" if you are interested in this...

smokinn 17y ago
In my continuing review of the dental primary literature I would love a post about your most interesting findings. Looking into the Vipeholm Study now.
JangoSteve 17y ago
I tend to get cavities every now and then, but always have very little plaque build-up. In fact, when I went on one 4-year hiatus from the dentist, the assistant cleaning my teeth said it looked like I had just recently had them cleaned. She said it probably had to do with the chemical makeup of my saliva being more plaque-resistant that average. Funny thing is my mom always gets similar comments when she goes to the dentist. We live very far away from each other and have very different diets. Based on that, I would conclude that the bacterial ecology of the mouth and related chemical composition of saliva, are probably quite genetic. Also, based on the fact that my dad has horrible luck with his teeth (cavities, root canals, etc), and dminor's comment (http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1108895 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1108895) in this thread saying that they have very different luck with their teeth from their brother, I would venture to guess that it may have a lot to do with the mother's side of the genetics (being linked to the X chromosome that gets passed down). In dminor's case, they could have received one X from their mother and their brother have received genetic makeup from the other X, which could explain their differences in dental hygiene at least partially. If it were Y-linked, then I'd obviously have much closer luck to my dad's, and those two brothers would be much closer in results to each other, since there is only one Y to be given from one parent. Of course, this is all nothing more than educated conjecture. I'm probably totally off base and it's likely much more complicated than that. For all I know, these results could be all coincidence, and the genetic characteristics could be totally unrelated to the sex-giving genes. (In other words, I have no dental training and nothing more than a curious, inquisitive disposition.)

smokinn 17y ago

In my continuing review of the dental primary literature I would love a post about your most interesting findings. Looking into the Vipeholm Study now.

JangoSteve 17y ago

I tend to get cavities every now and then, but always have very little plaque build-up. In fact, when I went on one 4-year hiatus from the dentist, the assistant cleaning my teeth said it looked like I had just recently had them cleaned. She said it probably had to do with the chemical makeup of my saliva being more plaque-resistant that average. Funny thing is my mom always gets similar comments when she goes to the dentist. We live very far away from each other and have very different diets. Based on that, I would conclude that the bacterial ecology of the mouth and related chemical composition of saliva, are probably quite genetic. Also, based on the fact that my dad has horrible luck with his teeth (cavities, root canals, etc), and dminor's comment (http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1108895 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1108895) in this thread saying that they have very different luck with their teeth from their brother, I would venture to guess that it may have a lot to do with the mother's side of the genetics (being linked to the X chromosome that gets passed down). In dminor's case, they could have received one X from their mother and their brother have received genetic makeup from the other X, which could explain their differences in dental hygiene at least partially. If it were Y-linked, then I'd obviously have much closer luck to my dad's, and those two brothers would be much closer in results to each other, since there is only one Y to be given from one parent. Of course, this is all nothing more than educated conjecture. I'm probably totally off base and it's likely much more complicated than that. For all I know, these results could be all coincidence, and the genetic characteristics could be totally unrelated to the sex-giving genes. (In other words, I have no dental training and nothing more than a curious, inquisitive disposition.)