Can we better predict who will develop dental caries?

Project description

Why do some people develop more caries than others?

Dental caries is one of the most common diseases, yet the risk of developing caries varies considerably between individuals. Traditionally, caries has been explained by factors such as diet, oral hygiene and fluoride use. However, these factors do not fully explain why some people develop more caries than others despite having similar lifestyles and receiving similar preventive measures.

Diet, heritability and caries

This project investigates how dietary habits and heritable factors contribute to individual differences in caries risk. The research includes studies of dietary habits, heritable influences on diet-related behaviours, and shared factors that may influence both dietary habits and the development of caries. The aim is to improve our understanding of why some people develop caries more frequently than others.

From understanding to prediction 

By increasing our knowledge of the heritable influences underlying diet and caries, the project aims to improve our understanding of why the risk of developing caries differs between individuals. The project also investigates whether information about other traits that share heritable influences with caries can be used to improve current risk assessment. In the long term, the findings may help identify individuals at high risk earlier and enable more personalised preventive interventions.

Collaborations and data

The project is conducted at Umeå University and uses data from Swedish population-based research infrastructures and registers, including the Swedish Twin Registry, the Västerbotten Intervention Programme, the Swedish Quality Registry for Caries and Periodontal Diseases (SKaPa), and dental care data from Region Västerbotten and Region Norrbotten.

In the long term, the project may contribute to:

• Increased knowledge of the biological and behavioural factors associated with the risk of developing caries.
• Earlier identification of individuals at high risk of caries.
• More personalised prevention and caries management.
• More efficient use of dental care resources.
• Improved oral health in the population.

The project consists of four studies addressing the following questions:

• How can we measure dietary habits reliably?
• How important are heritable factors in shaping our dietary habits?
• Are there shared heritable factors underlying dietary habits and caries?
• Can knowledge of other traits that share heritable influences with caries improve future caries risk assessment?

Part of a larger research project

This doctoral project is part of the research project “Oral mikrobiota4health”: Genetic determinants and their importance for oral and general health”, which aims to increase knowledge of the factors that influence oral and general health throughout life.

If you have previously participated in the Swedish Twin Registry or NSHDS and have provided samples and/or data for research, further information about how personal data are processed within the research project is available here: Information for participants in research studies and The CATSS Twin Study | Karolinska Institutet.

Read the published studies from the project here: 

Validation of a digital food frequency questionnaire for the Northern Sweden Diet Database 

Genetic influences on diet in young Swedish adults: a twin study - ScienceDirect