This high-yield revision note on Dental Caries Theories: Acidogenic to Ecological Plaque Hypothesis covers everything examiners typically test under Dental Public Health — structured as quick-reference tables, clinical correlations, mnemonics and previous-year-style high-yield points. It's built for last-mile revision before NEET MDS, INI-CET MDS and INBDE, so you can scan it in minutes instead of re-reading a whole textbook chapter.
| Theory | Proposed By | Core Concept |
|---|---|---|
| Chemico-parasitic (Acidogenic) theory | W.D. Miller (1890) | Oral bacteria ferment carbohydrates producing acid → demineralization of enamel; classical, most widely accepted foundational theory |
| Proteolytic theory | Gottlieb | Bacteria attack the organic (protein) matrix of enamel first, before mineral loss |
| Proteolysis-chelation theory | Schatz | Simultaneous protein breakdown AND chelation of mineral by decomposition products, can occur even at neutral/alkaline pH |
| Keyes' triad (later tetrad) | Keyes, modified by Newbrun | Caries requires Host (susceptible tooth) + Microorganisms + Substrate (fermentable carbohydrate), with Time as the 4th factor |
| Ecological plaque hypothesis | Marsh | Caries results from an ecological SHIFT within resident plaque flora (increase in acidogenic/aciduric species like S. mutans, lactobacilli) driven by frequent sugar exposure - not simple invasion by one new pathogen |
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