The disease dental caries is a dynamic process taking place in the microbial deposits (dental plaque) which results in a disturbance of the equilibrium between tooth substance and the surrounding plaque fluid so that, over time, the result is a loss of mineral from the tooth surface.
The disease caused by many factors and variety of different causative agents. Bacterial plaque is the only, immediate, direct factor causing caries. A number of different determinants control the level of bacterial activity (sugar) and resistance of the tooth to caries (saliva, fluorides)
There are 3 components responsible for dental caries:
1. Bacteria
- Type of bacteria
- Amount of bacteria
- Bacterial adhesion
- Acid producing capacity
- Plaque formation rate
2. Diet
- Contents of fermentable carbohydrates
- Frequency of food consumption
- Antibacterial components in the food
3. Susceptibility to disease
- Resistance to caries
- Fluorides
- Saliva secretion and composition
- Buffer capacity
- Other components affecting demineralization and remineralization
