Is It Inevitable?
Preventive strategies enhance protective factors and reduce pathologic factors to balance risk. Disease can be halted and early lesions remineralized.
Remineralization & Demineralization
- Caries is a dynamic process involving both protective factors and pathologic factors.
- Teeth are subjected to an ongoing cycle of demineralization and remineralization.
- To help prevent or reverse the caries process and tip the balance towards "no caries", we can:
- Decrease the likelihood of the child being colonized by mutans streptococci by providing preventive care and treatment for mothers.
- Limit the number of times the teeth are subjected to acid attacks by decreasing the frequency of consumption of dietary carbohydrates.
- Make teeth more resistant to acid through the use of fluoride.
- Enhance remineralization through the use of fluoride.
References
Featherstone JD, Adair SM, Anderson MH et al., Caries management by risk assessment: Consensus statement, April 2002. J Calif Dent Assoc. 2003;31(3);257-69.
Tinanoff N, Reisine S. Update on early childhood caries since the Surgeon General's Report. Acad Pediatr. 2009; 9(6):396-403.