The word caries is a Latin word for rot or rotten. In medieval Europe the word caries was frequently used in medicine to describe rot in bones and teeth. Dental caries is a common problem in children (12-17 years of age) and is seen in about 67 percent of that age group. It has also been shown that 80 percent of dental caries is in only 25 percent of children 5-17 years of age. Around 85 percent of adults in the U.S. have experienced tooth decay. Certain people are believed to be at higher risk of getting dental caries than others and they are those with low socioeconomic status or low levels of parental education, those who do not seek regular dental care, and those without dental insurance or access to dental services.
A different kind of caries developed and became a problem for people in Europe and in North America in the 1700's. Many believe this was due to the manufacture, distribution and marketing of sucrose (table sugar) as a food additive. As the sugar cane industry in North America and then the sugar beet industry in Europe developed more people gained access to sugar and a rapidly developing dental caries. These individuals experienced pain, severe localized infection within relatively dense bone and then systemic illness. Suddenly, dental caries could be extremely painful and even deadly. This disease soon became quite common in children and young adults.
When the dental caries epidemic began no one knew the cause was sucrose and its ability to cause bacteria growing on the surface of their teeth to damage their teeth. These bacteria attach themselves to the surface of the teeth and develop a coating on the teeth called plaque. A bacteria called Streptococcus mutans is commonly found in dental plague and grows quite rapidly when given sucrose. When this bacteria grows it produces an acid. This acid leeches calcium from the teeth and will cause a small pit or cavity in the tooth that can get deeper and deeper. Eventually causing pain in the affected teeth and bringing other bacteria along to produce painful localized infections in and around the teeth.
Children usually acquire Streptococcus mutans from the mouths of
