The Oral Microbiota, Dental Caries, and Periodontal Disease

The Oral Microbiota, Dental Caries, and Periodontal Disease 

NOTE The mass of a molecule is identified by the sum of its atomic weights, the molecular weight equivalent (mole). The standard symbol for mole is mol  

1 Necessary Basics Elements, Isotopes, Ions, Chemical Reactions, Energy Metabolism, and Bacterial Structures 

By contrast, beneath a healthy gingival sulcus, there is an intermittent flow of proteins from serum, blood plasma proteins in which clotting has been inactivated (Sect. 11.4.1). This exudate of serum proteins, the gingival crevicular fluid (GCF), provides a sulcus that is richer in proteins than saliva and an environment that is more suited for an asaccharo-lytic microbiota (Sect. 13.1.2). Asaccharolytic bacteria secrete proteases that digest proteins to small peptides, which they digest (ferment) in the cytosol. 

The alkaline environment also precipitates calcium and phosphate ions from the GCF, causing dental calculus. Dental calculus interferes with self-administered oral hygiene (Sect. 13.1.2) and asaccharolytic metabolism intensifies. When sulfur-containing amino acids (cysteine and methionine) are metabohzed, they release hydrogen sulfide along with the ammonia and short chain fatty acids. Hydrogen sulfide is a major contributor of oral malodor that often accompanies moderate to severe periodontal disease. 

---