Dental Caries

Dental Caries, a very common Dental ailment, causes damage to the structure of Teeth. The consequences of Caries are Tooth Decay and Cavities. If caries is left undiagnosed, it can lead to loss of tooth, infection, pain and in worst cases, death. This ailment has a long historical background can be traced back to bronze, Iron and Medieval ages.

Diet has been the common cause for increased prevalence of Dental Caries today. Dental Caries can be classified in a number of ways. Even though the presentation might vary, the risk factors and development among distinct types of caries remain majorly similar.

It starts as a small chalky area but slowly develops into a large, brown cavitation. In some cases radiographs are frequently needed to inspect those areas of teeth which are not clearly visible. But in most cases, it can be seen directly and hence extent of damage can be concluded.

The general cause of Tooth decay or Dental Caries is certain types of acid producing bacteria, especially of lactobacillus species, which cause damage in the presence of ferment-able carbohydrates such as glucose, fructose and Sucrose.

A special mineral content of tooth causes it to be sensitive to low pH, hence high presence of lactic acid in the mouth affect teeth. Generally, a tooth is in constant state of back and forth demineralization and re mineralization between the tooth and surrounding saliva.

When pH at the tooth surface drops below 5.5, demineralization proceeds faster than re-mineralization. This causes the Dental Caries.

Although there are no known method to regenerate large amount of tooth structure, however, depending on the extent of tooth destruction, various treatments can be used to restore dental health. Due to such severe outcomes, Dental health organizations stress more on preventive dental measures like regular oral checkups.

According to an estimate, 90% of school going children around the globe and many adults have experienced Dental Caries. This dental disease is more prevalent in Asian and Latin American countries and least in African countries.

In united states, Dental Caries is the most common childhood disease, being at least five times more common than asthma. This is due to bad eating habits.

In Adults, between 29% and 59% of adults over the age of fifty experience Dental Caries. In some developed countries, the count of Dental Caries diseased persons have fallen down, and this decline is usually attributed to increasingly better oral hygiene practices and preventive measures such as fluoride treatment.

Nonetheless, countries that have experienced an overall decrease in cases of tooth decay continue to have a disparity in the distribution of the disease. Among children in the United States and Europe, 60-80% of cases of Dental Caries occur in 20% of the population.

A similarly skewed distribution of the disease is found throughout the world with some children having none or very few caries and others having a high number. Some countries, such as Australia, Nepal, and Sweden, have a low incidence of cases of Dental Caries among children, whereas cases are more numerous in Costa Rica and Slovakia.