With so many tempting sweets waiting for us in the world, how should we be able to “eat sugar without tooth decay”? Next, let’s talk about “the past life and present life of sugar and tooth decay”! The concept of sugar Sugar, not only refers to candy, but is the general name of sugar substance, one of the three main nutrients of human body, is the main source of heat energy of human body, the heat energy supplied by sugar accounts for about 60-70% of the total heat energy required by human body, except for cellulose, all sugar substances are the source of heat energy. Because it is composed of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen elements, it is similar to “carbon” and “sleep” polymerization in the chemical formula, so it is also called carbohydrate. At the same time, because of its seductive “sweetness”, sugar has been elevated to a higher spiritual level and is one of the indispensable substances for human beings, which no one can refuse. Classification of sugar From the chemical point of view, we classify sugar into monosaccharides, oligosaccharides (oligosaccharides, containing 2-10 monosaccharide molecules), polysaccharides, conjugated sugars and sugar derivatives according to their structures. Below we illustrate three important concepts from the perspective of diet and dental caries: Free sugars – all monosaccharides or disaccharides that have been added to food artificially (by processors, cooks or consumers), including honey, syrups, fruit juices, and fruit extracts. Fermentable carbohydrates – free sugars, fructans, fermentable oligosaccharides, highly refined starches. Sugar alcohol – derivatives of sugar, not used by microorganisms in the mouth, and does not lower the pH of the mouth, but will rise, so it does not corrode the teeth, and is a good material for anti-caries. The process of caries development Caries (tooth decay) is a chronic, lifelong cumulative progressive disease. After we ingest carbohydrates (sucrose, fructose, glucose, etc.) that can be fermented by bacteria (Streptococcus mutans, Lactobacillus) in the mouth, acid production (pH drops rapidly from neutral to 5.0 or even lower) starts, which leads to continuous demineralization of tooth structure and destruction of structure, and then caries is formed. Relationship between sugar and caries Since the process of caries formation involves other carbohydrates and frequency of carbohydrate intake, oral microorganisms, acids, structural characteristics of different teeth, saliva flow, fluoride use, professionally we call caries as a multifactorial disease. However, those acid-producing bacteria that proliferate after the intake of sucrose are actually originally prevalent in the human oral cavity. (Only in the presence of sugar can they be stimulated to adhere, proliferate and produce acid in large numbers.) Other factors only change the rate of caries caused by sugar. Therefore, it is sugar that starts the process of caries, and it is only with sugar that there are various influencing factors mentioned above, so we call caries a multifactorial disease that affects our understanding of caries and people’s search for the main cause of caries, thus affecting our thinking of caries prevention. Without sugar, all other caries-causing factors will not be valid and caries will not occur. Suggestions of eating sugar scientifically 1. Reduce the intake of free sugar as much as possible, including honey, syrup, juice, etc. 2. While controlling the total amount, reduce the number of times of eating sugar, under the same total amount, the less damage to teeth if you eat it all at once than many times. 3. While controlling and reducing free sugar, we cannot ignore that fructans, fermentable oligosaccharides, highly refined starches, etc. are also used by bacteria to produce acid to cause tooth decay. 4. When eating sugar (fermentable carbohydrates to be exact), increase the food rich in fiber, AZzDFLKJHGFDA To meet the demand for sweetness, advocate the use of sugar substitutes, such as xylitol. 5. Do not eat sugar before bed, and rinse your mouth and brush your teeth as soon as possible after eating sugar to minimize the residual sugar in your mouth.