Theory of X-ray microcomputed tomography in dental research: application for the caries research

Dental caries, a chronic infectious disease, affects more than 90 percent of all adults in the United States and over 80 percent of all adults in Korea. Historically, caries have been prevalent since the time of pre-Neolithic humans (10,000 BC) with a reported prevalence between 1.4% and 12.1% carious teeth, but it was not until the fourteenth and fifteenth century when a sharp increase in caries prevalence was noted. This increase is often ascribed to a sucrose-civilization-caries trinity, with caries prevalence rising above 25%. Interestingly, as sucrose consumption increased, so did the life expectancy. An understanding of the dental caries process and Theory of X-ray microcomputed tomography in dental research: application for the caries research