Open AccessInsight into status of dental caries vaccination: A review
Author(s) -
Gayathri Cherukuri,
Veeramachaneni Chandrasekhar,
Gangadhar Rao,
Venkat Baghirath Pacha,
Sudheer B. Balla
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of conservative dentistry/journal of conservative dentistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.533
H-Index - 31
eISSN - 0974-5203
pISSN - 0972-0707
DOI - 10.4103/jcd.jcd_402_20
Subject(s) - streptococcus mutans , immunization , vaccination , medicine , clinical trial , streptococcus sobrinus , immunology , immune system , biology , bacteria , pathology , genetics
Despite advances in the 21 st century, dental caries still remains to be one of the most common infectious diseases. Its prevalence was confirmed by the World Health Organization and affirms dental caries as a major health problem in all over the world. Even though the process of tooth decay is multifactorial, the oral bacteria, mutans streptococci, such as Streptococcus mutans and Streptococcus sobrinus, are considered to be causative agents of dental caries in human. Numerous studies carried out on animals and various categories of vaccines were developed such as whole cell vaccine, subunit vaccine, and synthetic peptides. Irrespective of success from active and passive immunization based on animal trials, it is the phenomenon of human heart reactivity that limited the applicability of these trials in humans. Continuous efforts are being made to overcome these limitations and for further success in human trials. With the advent of various antibodies against antigens of mutans streptococci, local passive immunization has become the safer approach in humans against the colonization of bacteria and caries induction. This review provided insight into epidemiology, active and passive immunization in both animal and human trials, as well as the prospects of caries vaccination.