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Comment by baq | Hacker News Reader

i've got a kid that's allergic to certain foods and has lots of cavities even though he eats the same things and cares for his teeth the same way his brother, who isn't allergic, does. with my sample size of 1 i can confirm this study

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Is it possible your kid has celiac disease? It's not unheard of for untreated celiac children to have a ton of cavities. Once all sources of gluten are removed from the kid's diet their teeth tend to strengthen. The fact that celiac is an autoimmune disease could easily make this study relevant as well. The body-wide immune response of a celiac could easily change when gluten is removed from the digestive tract.

Can confirm. Born with no enamel, had a dozen or so cavities as a kid despite great dental care. Cut out wheat, life changing health benefits, one of which being no more cavities. That said, only 13% of people have the gene, and of those maybe 1/10 have symptoms, so it's not necessarily the most likely cause.

unlikely as there are no other symptoms but thanks for the tip - might check sometime in the future.

My sister has a ton of allergies but perfect teeth and I have terrible teeth but no allergies :-)

As an alternative sample size of one, I spent my entire childhood sniffle and stuffed up and I've had a total of 1 cavity in my mid-30 years. My sibling, who had no allergies, also suffered no cavities.

To add another n=1, I have severe allergies, not quite life threatening but almost (partial but significant throat constriction upon exposure), and I've never had a cavity and seem almost incapable of getting one. I only brush one time, at night, and don't use toothpaste (couldn't find one I wasn't mildly sensitive to).

It is established that immune cells are modulated by microbiota - and yes, there are oral microbiota, and there are even oral probiotic supplements one can take which seem to be effective for certain conditions. If you are interested in this topic, I'd recommend paying close attention to how the 2 main strains were discovered (S. Salivarius K12 and M18) - iirc. at least one of the two was first extracted from a child who had no cavities.

I have lots of allergies, and two or three very mild food allergies, and terrible teeth. My mother is the same way. The rest of the family have few allergies and excellent teeth, even without brushing.

Extending the study, spent my childhood suffering similarly and have had problems with cavities from 1st grade through adulthood.

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