by: Christine Zafra

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Brushing your teeth twice or thrice a day can help minimize, if not eliminate, dental cavities. Also, eating a healthy diet can aid a person in having oral diseases such as periodontitis and others. However, little do we know that a person’s genes generally play a big role in the formation of dental cavities. Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh conducted a study amongst identical twins and found out that there are certain genes that are responsible in tooth decay. Now, how can this be? They said that the connection relies on the food preferences of the people and the production of saliva (an anti-cavity enzyme). You don’t have to worry though, because there is also a gene that fights cavities.

Photo taken from http://www.lifespan.org