Epimediology of dental caries

Study of health and disease in populations

What are determinants influenced by

Descriptive epidemiologic studies

Try to answer a specific question

• Mail survey • Epidemiological/screening survey • Telephone interview

• Medicaid • Vital Statistics • Cancer registry

Demineralization of the hard tissues of the teeth caused by bacterial acids

What causes dental caries?

One of the most common diseases among 5-17 year olds

prehistoric man; low prevalence and severity

no change in prevalence between the Anglo Saxon period to the Middle Ages in British studies; mostly cervical lesions

High prevalence of disease; mostly occlusal and proximal lesions associated with changes in diet circa 1600

Low prevalence in “developing” countries, high prevalence in “developed” nations

– Increasing prevalence in developing countries – Decrease in caries incidence in children and young adults in developed countries – the “caries decline

Caries caused by a worm. Fumigation devices used to remove the worm.

Tooth is an integral part of the body, vitally affected by the body. Disease processes take place from the “inside-out”.

Tooth decay originates from within the tooth itself

17th and 18th Centuries. Decay arises from acids formed in the oral cavity. Assumed that acids were inorganic

microorganisms infiltrate the enamel, leading to decomposition. Recognition that enamel is organic.

In 1881, W. D. Miller proposed that microorganisms in the oral cavity ferment carbohydrates and produce acids that can initiate demineralization

2 stages of The chemico-parasitic theory

derived from the fermentation of starches and sugar lodged in the retaining centers of the teeth.”

was associated with dental caries in 1914

Prior to World War II there were reports on the association between