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Abstract
Dental caries, otherwise known as tooth decay, is one of the most prevalent chronic
diseases of people worldwide; individuals are susceptible to this disease throughout
their lifetime. Dental caries forms through a complex interaction over time between
acid-producing bacteria and fermentable carbohydrate, and many host factors including
teeth and saliva. The disease develops in both the crowns and roots of teeth, and
it can arise in early childhood as an aggressive tooth decay that affects the primary
teeth of infants and toddlers. Risk for caries includes physical, biological, environmental,
behavioural, and lifestyle-related factors such as high numbers of cariogenic bacteria,
inadequate salivary flow, insufficient fluoride exposure, poor oral hygiene, inappropriate
methods of feeding infants, and poverty. The approach to primary prevention should
be based on common risk factors. Secondary prevention and treatment should focus on
management of the caries process over time for individual patients, with a minimally
invasive, tissue-preserving approach.