Dental
caries is a major public health problem globally and is the most widespread non
communicable disease (NCD). It is also the most prevalent condition included in
the 2015 Global Burden of Disease Study, ranking first for decay of permanent
teeth (2.3 billion people) and 12th for deciduous teeth (560 million children).
Dental caries can be
prevented by avoiding dietary free sugars. Moreover, dental caries is largely
preventable through simple and cost-effective population-wide and individual
interventions, whereas treatment is costly, and is often unavailable in low- and
middle-income countries.
In low-income countries,
the majority of dental caries goes untreated. Teeth affected by caries are
often extracted (pulled out) when they cause pain or discomfort.
Severe dental caries can
impair quality of life. For example, dental caries may cause difficulties in
eating and sleeping, and in its advanced stages (abscesses), it may result in
pain and chronic systemic infection. Dental caries is also associated with
adverse growth patterns. Further, tooth decay is a frequent cause of absence
from school or work.
