Dental caries (tooth decay) affects around 60% to 90% of children globally (WHO Report 2003). It most commonly occurs in primary (baby) molar (back) teeth. If left unmanaged, dental caries will progress to give pain and infection, the consequences of which are unnecessary suffering, and lost days at school (Gift 1992).
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There is evidence of a linear relationship between higher levels of caries and anthropometric outcomes (height, weight and body mass index (BMI)) (Alkarimi 2014).
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Untreated dental caries has an adverse effect on children’s ability to grow and thrive (Sheiham 2006), and in underweight children, extraction of severely carious primary teeth can improve weight gain (Monse 2012).
Teeth undergo a constant process of demineralisation (caused by the acids and enzymes produced by cariogenic bacteria in the dental biofilm (plaque)) and remineralisation (from protective factors such as fluoride and salivary components).
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Dental caries occurs when the rate of demineralisation is greater than that of remineralisation. When dissolution of enamel and dentine leads to cavitation (a hole in the tooth), the carious lesion can no longer be cleaned and it becomes more difficult to arrest the caries process as the biofilm becomes more sheltered, which favours the cariogenic bacteria (Fejerskov 2015).
° odontologiapediatrica.com
° Cochrane Library / Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews
° Innes NPT, Ricketts D, Chong LY, Keightley AJ, Lamont T, Santamaria RM
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