[Research progress in ecological prevention of dental caries]

Abstract

Dental caries is one of the most common oral diseases around the world. Dental plaque attached to the surfaces of teeth is the main biological factor leading to caries. Although fluoride is still one of the most commonly used methods to prevent caries, with the change of epidemiological characteristics of caries and the update of the understanding of caries etiology, it is necessary to use other ecological methods such as antimicrobial peptides, arginine, probiotics and natural products, etc. to enhance the effect of fluoride in preventing dental caries. The present article reviews the research progress on the ecological approaches for caries prevention in recent years.