Ongoing Balance
Preventive strategies enhance protective factors and reduce pathologic factors. Disease can be halted and early lesions remineralized.
Caries & Demineralization
- Caries is a dynamic process involving many protective factors and pathologic factors.
- Teeth undergo cycles of demineralization and remineralization.
- Strategies to aid in preventing or reversing the caries process and tip the balance towards "no caries" include:
- Delay colonization of pathogenic bacteria by providing preventive care and treatment for mothers.
- Limit demineralization by decreasing frequency of dietary carbohydrate consumption.
- Make teeth more resistant to acid through use of fluoride. Tooth remineralization is enhanced with use of fluoride topically (toothpaste and varnish) and systemically (water and oral supplements).
Courtesy of Featherstone JD, 2004
References
Rechmann P, Kinsel R, Featherstone JDB. Integrating Caries Management by Risk Assessment (CAMBRA) and Prevention Strategies Into the Contemporary Dental Practice. Compend Contin Educ Dent. 2018; 39(4): 226-233.
Featherstone JD. The caries balance: the basis for caries management by risk assessment. Oral Health Prev Dent. 2004; 2 Suppl 1:259-64.