Contributors xi Preface xiii Part I Dental caries: What is it and what is the magnitude of the problem? Chapter 1 Dental caries - definitions and clinical features 3 Ole Fejerskov and Bente Nyvad The editors'' view on dental caries and introduction to the book 3 Terminology 5 Examples of dental caries 6 Background literature 15 Chapter 2 Strategic public health considerations for caries control in populations 17 Anja Heilmann and Richard G. Watt Introduction 17 The global burden of dental caries 18 The role of sugar in the etiology of dental caries 18 Public health principles for preventive action 21 Overview of upstream, midstream, and downstream strategies to prevent dental caries 27 Implications for the dental profession and oral health care systems 30 Conclusion 30 References 31 Chapter 3 Dental caries epidemiology 35 Firoze Manji and Ole Fejerskov Introduction 35 Probability of an outcome 36 Some standard terms used in epidemiology 40 Measures of central tendency: Mean, median, mode 42 Types of investigation 43 Problems of determining the role of specific factors 44 Analysis and interpretation of data 45 Drawing inferences about associations 51 Age and dental caries 54 International comparisons of occurrence of dental caries 54 Background literature 56 References 56 Part II Diagnosis and detection Chapter 4 Visual-tactile caries diagnosis and the role of bitewing radiography 61 Bente Nyvad, Vita Machiulskiene, and Vibeke Baelum Introduction 62 The diagnostic process 62 Two differing perspectives on caries detection 63 Achieving the best health outcome for the patient by classifying caries lesions according to the best management options for each lesion type 63 How early should caries lesions be detected? 65 What are the best visual-tactile caries diagnostic criteria? 65 Commonly used visual-tactile criteria 68 Differential diagnosis 74 Visual-tactile caries examination: A systematic clinical approach 76 Benefits and limitations of visual-tactile caries diagnosis 78 Do we need radiographs for caries detection? 79 Conclusion 82 References 83 Chapter 5 The foundations of good diagnostic practice 85 Vibeke Baelum Introduction 85 The making of a dentist 86 The dental examination: In the best interest of our patients 87 What are we looking for? What is caries? 88 The wealth of caries diagnostic methods and criteria 90 The evolution in caries diagnostic methods 90 Diagnostic test assessment in the essentialistic gold-standard paradigm 91 Evaluating caries diagnostic methods 92 Leaps in the essentialistic gold-standard reasoning 93 Diagnostic test evaluation in the nominalistic caries paradigm 95 Inter- and intra-examiner errors in caries diagnosis 96 How do we deal with the unavoidable diagnostic uncertainty? 97 The additional diagnostic yield argument 98 Concluding remarks 99 References 100 Part III The oral environment and dental caries Chapter 6 The oral microbiome - composition, acquisition, establishment, and maturation 105 Gunnar Dahlén The microbiome 105 The composition of the oral microbiome 107 The composition and structure of oral mucosal and tongue microbiome 116 Dental plaque microbiome 117 The oral microbiome and immunity 120 Acquisition of the oral microbiome 123 Establishment of the oral microbiome 125 Maturation of the oral microbiome 125 Conclusions 129 Background literature 129 References 129 Chapter 7 Functions of the oral microbiome in caries and how they can be controlled 133 Nobuhiro Takahashi and Bente Nyvad Introduction 133 Bacterial metabolism and ecological factors affecting the cariogenic features of dental biofilm 134 The ''ecological plaque hypothesis'' to explain the role of dental biofilm bacteria in the etiology of dental caries 135 How to control a cariogenic drift of the oral microbiome 141 Clinical approaches to caries control by interference with microbial metabolism 144 Prebiotics, probiotics, and synbiotics 146 Concluding remarks 148 References 149 Chapter 8 The essential role of saliva in dental caries and erosion 153 Anne Marie Lynge Pedersen Introduction 153 The salivary glands and their secretion 154 Neuronal regulation of salivary secretion 155 Formation of saliva 157 Saliva and its role in maintaining dental health 159 The functions of saliva flow and its inorganic and organic electrolytes 164 Saliva gland hypofunction and dental caries and erosion 170 Evaluation of salivary gland function 172 Management of salivary gland hypofunction 175 Concluding remarks 175 Background literature 176 References 176 Part IV What happens in the dental hard tissues and key determinants of caries Chapter 9 The process of de- and remineralization - the key to understanding clinical manifestations of dental caries 181 Ole Fejerskov and Mogens Joost Larsen Introduction 181 Enamel mineral 182 Stability of calcium phosphates 183 Crystal dissolution 183 Why is apatite solubility increased by acid? 184 Effect of carbonate and fluoride on apatite dissolution and growth 185 Demineralization and remineralization of the dental hard tissues 186 Caries demineralization 188 Remineralization of enamel 190 Remineralization of dentin 192 Background literature 196 References 196 Chapter 10 Initiation and progression of dental caries in dental hard tissues 199 Ole Fejerskov Introduction 199 Human dental enamel at the time of eruption 201 Enamel changes during early caries lesion development 205 The approximal white spot lesion 209 Progression of the enamel lesion 213 Arrest of the caries lesion 215 Occlusal caries 216 Dentin reactions to caries progression 221 Pulpo-dentinal reactions 221 Root surface caries 227 Background literature 230 References 230 Chapter 11 Erosion of the teeth 233 Mogens Joost Larsen Introduction 233 Clinical manifestations and diagnosis 233 Histological and chemical features 236 Classification by depth of the lesion 237 Classification by etiology 237 Erosion caused by food and drinks 237 Erosion caused by stomach contents 242 Erosion caused by airborne acids 243 Idiopathic erosion 243 Prophylaxis and treatment of erosion 244 Conclusion 246 Background literature 246 References 246 Chapter 12 Sugar, diet, and dental caries 247 Cor van Loveren, Peter Lingström, and Bente Nyvad Introduction 247 History 248 Early ecological studies 248 Experimental human studies 249 Influence of fluoride on the diet - caries relationship 250 Which is of more importance - amount or frequency of sugar consumption? 251 Measuring cariogenicity 251 Sweeteners 256 Protective factors in foods 265 Diet and dental erosion 266 Dietary advice for dental health promotion 266 References 267 Chapter 13 Oral hygiene - does it matter? 273 Bente Nyvad Introduction 273 Some theoretical considerations 273 The biological effect of tooth cleaning 274 The clinical effect of tooth cleaning 274 The effect of professional tooth cleaning 278 The effect of dental flossing 279 Does tooth cleaning matter? 279 References 280 Chapter 14 Fluorides in caries control 283 Ole Fejerskov, Jaime A. Cury, Livia M. A. Tenuta, and Firoze Manji Introduction 283 Fluoride in caries control 284 Anticaries mechanisms of fluoride 288 Dental fluorosis and metabolism of fluoride 292 Fluoride dose and dental fluorosis 296 Where is fluoride found in nature? 300 Fluoride absorption, distribution, and elimination 300 Fluoride concentration in teeth 301 Pathogenesis of dental fluorosis 303 The efficacy and effectiveness of fluorides in the control of dental caries: Systematic review 303 Rational use of fluorides in caries control 309 Background literature 310 References 310 Part V Caries Control in Children, Adults and Elderly Chapter 15 The caries control concept 317 Bente Nyvad and Ole Fejerskov Why the caries control concept should replace caries prevention 317 How caries control was managed in the past 318 Arrest of active enamel caries 319 Arrest of active root caries 320 Arrest of active cavitated caries 321 Role of fluoride in lesion arrest 324 Benefits and limitations of the caries control approach - and some recommendations 324 References 324 Chapter 16 Caries control for the individual patient in all age groups 327 Bente Nyvad and Edwina A.M. Kidd Introduction 327 How are current caries activity and risk of future caries progression assessed? 328 The ''dental traffic light'' 331 What non-operative, treatments.