Which term describes a colorless, odorless, sticky substance containing acids and bacteria that causes tooth decay?

Which term describes a colorless, odorless, sticky substance containing acids and bacteria that causes tooth decay?

• A. Plaque
• B. Tartar
• C. Caries
• D. Calculus

Answer: (A)

Plaque is the colorless, odorless, sticky biofilm that clings to teeth. It’s a layer of bacteria embedded in a slimy matrix that forms when saliva, food debris, and bacteria interact. The bacteria in plaque metabolize sugars from our diet and produce acids that attack enamel, leading to tooth decay (caries) over time. That combination of a sticky film plus acids and bacteria directly describes plaque, making it the best fit. Tartar, or calculus, is just plaque that has become mineralized and hard; it isn’t colorless and sticky in the same way, and it doesn’t itself cause decay. Caries refers to the decay process or the resulting decay lesion, not the substance that harbors the bacteria. Calculus is the mineralized form of plaque.

Plaque is the colorless, odorless, sticky biofilm that clings to teeth. It’s a layer of bacteria embedded in a slimy matrix that forms when saliva, food debris, and bacteria interact. The bacteria in plaque metabolize sugars from our diet and produce acids that attack enamel, leading to tooth decay (caries) over time. That combination of a sticky film plus acids and bacteria directly describes plaque, making it the best fit.

Tartar, or calculus, is just plaque that has become mineralized and hard; it isn’t colorless and sticky in the same way, and it doesn’t itself cause decay. Caries refers to the decay process or the resulting decay lesion, not the substance that harbors the bacteria. Calculus is the mineralized form of plaque.