Dental Caries
Although considered beneficial, some Lactobacillus species have been associated with dental caries. The Lactobacillus count in saliva has been used as a "caries test" for many years. This is one of the arguments used in support of the use of fluoride in toothpaste and lozenges. Lactobacilli characteristically cause existing carious lesions to progress, especially those in coronal caries.
Read more about this topic: Lactobacillus
Famous quotes containing the words dental and/or caries:
“[T]hose wholemeal breads ... look hand-thrown, like studio pottery, and are fine if you have all your teeth. But if not, then not. Perhaps the rise ... of the ... factory-made loaf, which may easily be mumbled to a pap betweeen gums, reflects the sorry state of the nation’s dental health.”
—Angela Carter (1940–1992)
“Scepticism, that dry caries of the intelligence.”
—Victor Hugo (1802–1885)