Caries Progression
ECC affects the teeth that emerge early and are least protected by saliva. Visualize a child sucking a bottle. With the child's tongue thrust forward, the maxillary incisors get maximal sugar exposure.
Typically ECC progresses in the following order:
- Upper incisors (maxillary anterior teeth)
- First molars
- Second molars
Mandibular incisors, although they emerge first, are generally less affected because they are protected by the tongue and pooling of saliva in that area.
Caries Pattern Reflects Sugar Exposure
Joanna Douglass, BDS, DDS