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Cited by 1,823Dental Health and Care UtilizationOral microbiology and periodontitis researchDental materials and restorations

Dental caries

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Pitts, Nigel B., Zero, Domenick T., Marsh, Phil D., Ekstrand, Kim, Weintraub, Jane A., Ramos-Gomez, Francisco, Tagami, Junji, Twetman, Svante +2 more·2017·Nature Reviews Disease Primers
DOI 10.1038/nrdp.2017.30
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Abstract

Dental caries is a biofilm-mediated, sugar-driven, multifactorial, dynamic disease that results in the phasic demineralization and remineralization of dental hard tissues. Caries can occur throughout life, both in primary and permanent dentitions, and can damage the tooth crown and, in later life, exposed root surfaces. The balance between pathological and protective factors influences the initiation and progression of caries. This interplay between factors underpins the classification of individuals and groups into caries risk categories, allowing an increasingly tailored approach to care. Dental caries is an unevenly distributed, preventable disease with considerable economic and quality-of-life burdens. The daily use of fluoride toothpaste is seen as the main reason for the overall decline of caries worldwide over recent decades. This Primer aims to provide a global overview of caries, acknowledging the historical era dominated by restoration of tooth decay by surgical means, but focuses on current, progressive and more holistic long-term, patient-centred, tooth-preserving preventive care.

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  • Gingivitis may lead to periodontitis in susceptible individuals with a compromised immune response.

    “In susceptible individuals with a compromised immune response, gingivitis may lead onto periodontitis which progressively destroys the periodontal tissue support including the bone surrounding teeth.16”

    From Oral diseases: a global public health challenge (2019) · cites this paper as [16]

    The Prevention section mentions compromised immunity as a consideration in dental-caries prevention, but does not connect it to gingivitis or periodontitis. Searches for gingivitis, periodontitis, and destruction of periodontal tissue found no passage in our copy addressing the claimed progression. (LLM, conf=0.76)

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Research works printed but not linked: 7

  1. Petersen. P-E., Bourgeois, D., Ogawa, H., Estupinan-Day, S. & Ndiaye, C. The global burden of oral diseases and risks to oral health. Bulletin of the World Health Organization. 83, 661-669 (2005).
  2. Dye, B.A. et al. Trends in pediatric dental caries by poverty status in the US. Int. J. Paedi. Dent. 20(2), 132-43 (2010).
  3. Dye, B. A. et al. Trends in oral health status: United States, 1988-1994 and 1999-2004. Vital Health Stat. 11(248), 1-92 (2007).
  4. Patel, R.N. et al. Variability of Methodologies Used to Determine National Mean DMFT Scores for 12-Year-Old Children in European Countries. Community Dental Health 2016, 33, 286-291 (2016).
  5. Watanabe M, T.N., Takada H) (Elsevier, Oxford, 2005).
  6. Pollick, H.F. Salt fluoridation: a review. C.D.A.J. 41, 395-404 (2013).
  7. Public Health England. Delivering better oral health: an evidence-based toolkit for prevention - Third edition. (Public Health England, London, 2014).

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Authors
Pitts, N. B., Zero, D. T., Marsh, P. D., Ekstrand, K., Weintraub, J. A., Ramos-Gomez, F., Tagami, J., Twetman, S., Tsakos, G., & Ismail, A.
Affiliations
  • Guy's Hospital (GB)
  • Indiana University Indianapolis (US)
  • University of Copenhagen (DK)
  • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (US)
  • Tokyo Medical and Dental University (JP)
  • University College London (GB)
  • Temple University (US)
Corresponding author
Pitts, Nigel B.
ORCID
Venue
Nature Reviews Disease Primers
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published
2017-05-25
Volume
3
Issue
1
Pages
17030-17030
ISSN
2056-676X (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1038/nrdp.2017.30
OpenAlex
W4211107393
Cited by
1,823
References
127
Citations by year
2026: 277 · 2025: 308 · 2024: 282 · 2023: 240 · 2022: 228 · 2021: 214 · 2020: 144 · 2019: 76 · 2018: 50 · 2017: 4
FWCI
10.76
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Nature Reviews Disease Primers (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Research Portal (King's College London) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
  • Research at the University of Copenhagen (University of Copenhagen) (submittedVersion)
Funders
National Institutes of Health (1r13de016786-01)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Dentistry › Periodontics › Dental Health and Care Utilization
  • Health Sciences › Dentistry › Periodontics › Oral microbiology and periodontitis research
  • Health Sciences › Dentistry › Orthodontics › Dental materials and restorations
Keywords
dental caries, dental plaque, dietary sugar, demineralization, remineralization, caries risk assessment, fluoride toothpaste, dental caries prevention, primary and permanent dentition, root caries, caries epidemiology
MeSH terms
Dental Caries, Dental Plaque, DMF Index, Fluorides, Humans, Tooth Remineralization, Toothpastes

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