Recent Advances in Prevention of Dental Caries

Prevention of health is not an altruist concept. It is mankind's primary hope for improving health. Thus tradition of stressing prevention through diet and modification of lifestyle has a long history. Prevention is defined as action taken prior to the onset of disease which removes the possibility that the disease will ever occur. 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 caries prevention, oral hygiene measures, fluoride application, pit-and-fissure sealants, the use of xylitol, the development of a dental caries vaccine, and the role of the primary caregiver for infants have been introduced.