Concepts of caries prevention
Erupting teeth are healthy, and the first carious lesion and its restoration marks the initiation of a series of treatments that during the tooth’s lifetime will end up in more and more complicated restorations. Today there is sufficient scientific knowledge about the etiology of caries and about factors that interfere in this process in order for us to develop effective preventive strategies. There is no excuse not to use this knowledge in attempts to control caries. Therefore, caries prevention should be given a high priority by the dental profession as well as by governmental authorities. In this context, the pediatric dentist has a very specific responsibility in meeting the challenge of keeping children and adolescents free from caries. For example, very young children with early signs of caries should be given special attention, as they tend to develop more caries compared to children without early signs of caries.