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Tooth Decay
The World's Oldest & Most Widespread Disease
by Dr. Douglas A. Young
Tooth decay - or dental caries - is an infectious disease process that causes damage to the structure of teeth. Cavities (hollowed out spaces or holes) are the most notable consequences of dental caries.
Left untreated, caries leads to pain, tooth loss - or, in rare cases, death. Tooth decay amounts to more than just the inconvenience of "drilling and filling": it has the power to change a person's diet, speech, quality of life and overall well being.
Dental decay is a worldwide epidemic, especially among young children. The disease begins early - tooth decay affects more than one-fourth of U.S. children ages 2 to 5 and half of those ages 12 to 15. Low-income children are hardest hit: about half of those ages 6 to 19 have had decay.
Tooth decay is also a problem for U.S. adults, affecting more than ninety percent over age forty. A quarter of adults over age sixty have lost all of their teeth primarily because of decay affecting self-esteem and contributing to nutrition problems by limiting the types of foods that can be eaten.
The mouth is an ecosystem where living organisms continually interact with every other element within their environment. The teeth are bathed in saliva, a most remarkable and seldom discussed fluid. One of its most important roles is to maintain a "neutral" environment - a balance between acids and bases.
The oral environment is also loaded with bacteria. There are more bacteria in a single mouth than there are people who have ever lived on the earth. Certain of these bacteria have the potential to cause decay...
Read the full print article, Tooth Decay: The World's Oldest & Most Widespread Disease, in Dear Doctor - Dentistry & Oral Health, Volume 2 Issue 3.
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