白假丝酵母菌与龋病的相关性及其致龋机制

Saccharomyces albicans(S. albicans) is a Gram-positive fungus and widely exists in the upper respiratory tract, intestinal canal, and vagina of healthy people.S. albicansdoes not cause diseases in a state of symbiosis with the host. The ability ofS. albicansto switch its morphotype from yeast to hyphal forms contributes to its pathogenesis and leads to oral mucosa infection and dental caries. In oral biofilms of caries-affected people, an interaction may exist betweenS. albicansandStreptococcus mutans(S. mutans) leading to the development of dental caries.S. albicanstends to adhere tightly toStreptococcus gordonii(S. gordonii), that is, a polysaccharide existing on the surface of the cell wall ofS. gordoniiis one of the adhesion receptors ofS. albicans.S. gordoniican alleviate the inhibition effect of quorum-sensing mechanism on hyphae formation and biofilm development ofS. albicans, thereby increasing the biomass. This review focused onS. albicans, the correlation ofS. albicansand dental caries, and the research progress on the possible specific mechanism involved in the occurrence and development of dental caries caused by the interactions ofS. albicans, together withS. mutans,S. gordonii, and other oral bacteria. This study aims to provide ideas and references for future clinical research.