Overview

Although tooth decay has declined among young children as a group, it can still be a problem for individual children, and even teens and adults. That’s because plaque, a sticky film of bacteria, constantly forms on your teeth. When you eat or drink foods containing sugars or starches, the bacteria in plaque produce acids that attack tooth enamel. The stickiness of the plaque keeps these acids in contact with your teeth and after many such attacks, the enamel can break down and a cavity forms.

Preventing Decay:

• Brush your teeth twice a day with fluoride toothpaste.
• Clean between teeth daily with floss or an interdental cleaner.
• Eat a balanced diet and limit between-meal snacks.
• Visit your dentist regularly for professional cleanings and oral exams.
• Ask your dentist about dental sealants, a protective plastic coating that can be applied to the chewing surfaces of the back teeth where decay often starts.

Publications

• A Healthy Mouth for Your Baby
  A brochure for parents and caregivers on preventing early childhood caries (baby bottle tooth decay) in young children.
• Seal Out Tooth Decay
  This brochure explains to parents and caregivers what sealants are and how they work.
• Milk Matters with Buddy Brush
  A coloring book for children on the importance of calcium for strong teeth and a healthy mouth.
• Plaque: What It Is and How to Get Rid of It (280KB) (only available in printer-friendly PDF)
  This brochure shows how to brush and floss.

Publications in Spanish

• Una boca saludable para su bebe
  Spanish version of "A Healthy Mouth for Your Baby", a brochure for parents and caregivers on preventing early childhood caries (baby bottle tooth decay) in young children.
• Selle los dientes contra la caries dental: Un folleto para padres
  Spanish version of "Seal Out Tooth Decay". This brochure explains to parents and caregivers what sealants are and how they work.
• La placa
  Spanish version of "Plaque: What It Is and How to Get Rid of It" (280KB).  This brochure shows how to brush and floss.

Clinical Trials

• Dental Plaque

News Releases and Articles

• Selectively Removing Tooth Decay (December 2009)
• Xylitol Syrup Helps to Prevent Childhood Tooth Decay (July 2009)
• Scientists Explore Gene Variability in S. Mutans (June 2009)
• Survey Examines Treating Deep Caries (May 2007)
• Nanocomposite Fillings Show Promise in Fighting Secondary Decay (May 2007)
• Scientists Complete Full Sequence of Opportunistic Oral Bacterium (April 2007)
• Protein Increases Hardness of Dental Enamel (March 2007)
• Early Oral Biofilm May Be More Variable Than Once Thought (April 2006)
• Imaging Technique Shows Promise in Detecting Early Signs of Tooth Decay (March 2006)
• Oral Bacterium Proves More Unique than Once Thought (January 2006)
• New Comparison of Commonly Consumed Fluids and Risk of Early Childhood Caries (October 2005)
• Deciphering Signal Transduction in S. Mutans (June 2005)
• Predicted Protein May Be Important in Biofilm Formation (May 2005)
• New Data on Prevalence of Dental Caries in Immigrant Children (December 2004)
• New Cost-Assessment Study (October 2004)
• Scientists Decipher Genome Sequence of S.Mutans (October 2002)
• Scientists Report New Resin Matrix Passes Initial Tests (July 2002)
• More Rigorous Studies Needed to Advance Emerging Dental Caries Diagnostic and Management Strategies, Says NIH Consensus Panel (March 2001)

Statistics

• Dental Caries Statistics
  Latest statistics on dental caries in children, adolescents, adults, and seniors

Reports from Conferences, Meetings and Workshops

• Surveillance for Dental Caries, Dental Sealants, Tooth Retention, Edentulism and Enamel Fluorosis – United States, 1988-1994 and 1999-2002 (August 2005)
  Using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), the report provides the most current estimates of dental conditions such as cavities, use of dental sealants to prevent cavities, and tooth loss.
• NIH Consensus Development Conference on Diagnosis and Management of Caries Throughout Life (March 2001)
  Conference participants reviewed science related to diagnosing, preventing, and treating caries and developed recommendations for further research.
• Current Bibliographies in Medicine: Diagnosis and Management of Dental Caries
  A listing of over 1500 scientific journal articles published between 1980 and 2000 on the diagnosis and management of dental caries. The bibliography was developed in support of the March 2001 NIH Consensus Conference on Diagnosis and Management of Dental Caries.
• Promoting Oral Health: Interventions for Preventing Dental Caries, Oral and Pharyngeal Cancers, and Sports-Related Craniofacial Injuries
  This November 2001 report from the Task Force on Community Preventive Services presents the results of systematic reviews of the evidence of effectiveness of selected population-based interventions and presents recommendations for future interventions and intervention research.

Other Government Information

• MedlinePlus: Tooth Decay
  The National Library of Medicine's compilation of links to government, professional and non-profit/voluntary organizations with information on tooth decay.

From the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

• Preventing Dental Caries
  Information about community-based strategies to prevent tooth decay
• Children's Oral Health
  Information for parents and caregivers about how to prevent tooth decay in children 
• Oral Health: Preventing Cavities, Gum Disease, and Tooth Loss
  Information about these painful, costly, and preventable oral health problems
• Fast Stats on Oral Health
  Data on untreated dental caries by age, sex, race, and Hispanic origin, and poverty level,1971-74, 1988-94, 1999-2002

Related Oral Health Topics

• Children's Oral Health
• Sealants

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