Changing paradigms in caries management.

Management of dental caries patients is taking on a new look. Caries is the clinical manifestation of an oral infection. The primary organisms involved are Streptococcus mutans. The infective nature of the disease has been well researched and reported. Treatment of this infection with antibacterial measures is becoming routine in developed countries. In the United States, the overall caries rate is decreasing. However, the distribution of caries is now skewed. Twenty percent of the population has 60% of the caries. These individuals have a significant level of infection or a major lack of resistance to the organisms and their by-products. Major strategies are being developed to control these infections and limit their recurrence. This review focuses on the developments in prevalence studies, diagnosis, and treatment of the caries infection.