Models of self-regulation of patient adherence to specific health promotion recommendations by professionals are available and have been shown effective in changing behavior. However, it is a fundamental misspecification of the caries prevention problem to look to techniques that affect the regulation of individual behavior to directly impact dental caries. Behavioral techniques are used to enh...

Dental caries is one of the oldest and most common diseases found in humans. With the recent shift from the surgical model, which emphasized restorative treatment, to a medical model of disease management, newer strategies emphasize disease prevention and conservation of tooth structure. For early detection and monitoring of caries, rather than waiting until a cavity is formed and restorative t...

Past few decades have seen a significant increase in the prevalence of dental caries at a global scale. To reduce the pervasiveness of cariogenic microflora, various efforts have been undertaken. However, completely eradicating caries-associated microorganisms has been futile.1 Endogenous bacteria, such as Lactobacillus species, Streptococcus mutans, and Streptococcus sobrinus persisting in bio...

The recent increase in the prevalence of dental caries among young children has highlighted the need for a new approach to prevent caries in children at a younger age. New disease prevention management models call for children to have their first visit to the dentist at age 1 or when their first tooth erupts. This article addresses early childhood caries risk assessment, prevention, and managem...

Dental caries is one of the most common preventable childhood disease; people are susceptible to this ailment throughout the lifetime [1]. Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) conducted between 1999 and 2004 revealed that 28 percent of children ranging from 2 to 5 years of age had one or more primary tooth affected by dental caries and 51 percent of children h...

With the advent of new caries detection devices that allow early detection, dental hygienists can intervene in the demineralization process and work with the patient toward remineralization through patient self-care procedures and the professional application of topical fluorides. The focus of this article is on caries detection devices, caries risk assessment, agents used to prevent dental car...