Dental Caries
- PMID: 31869163
- Bookshelf ID: NBK551699
Dental Caries
Excerpt
Dentistry dates back to 5000 B.C. when the thinking was that the cause of dental caries was a “tooth worm.” The term “dental caries” was first reported in the literature around 1634, and it originates from the Latin word “caries,” which stands for decay. The term was initially used to describe holes in the teeth. Dental caries is reported to be one of the oldest and most common diseases found in humans. Dental caries is a prevalent chronic infectious disease resulting from tooth-adherent cariogenic bacteria that metabolize sugars to produce acid, which, over time, demineralizes tooth structure.
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