Acids, Bases and Salts · Class 10 · CBSE Science
Tooth decay starts when the pH of the mouth falls below a certain value. Name this critical pH value and explain how it causes tooth enamel damage.
Practice question from Acids, Bases and Salts (Class 10 · CBSE Science), with the correct answer and a step-by-step solution.
medium · Subjective · Q-838797
Tooth decay starts when the pH of the mouth falls below a certain value. Name this critical pH value and explain how it causes tooth enamel damage.
Answer: Tooth decay starts when the pH of the mouth falls below 5.5. At this acidic pH, bacteria in the mouth degrade leftover food particles to produce acids that corrode calcium phosphate, the hard tooth enamel, which is otherwise insoluble in water.
Solution
Enamel is made of calcium hydroxyapatite. When the mouth's pH drops below 5.5 due to acid-producing bacteria, the acidic environment dissolves the enamel, leading to tooth decay.
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