title: Preventing Dental Caries: Part 1 the scientific rationale for preventive advice.
abstract: This article highlights the fundamental issues which the primary care team should consider when developing preventive dental advice for their patients. Although it is important to have a clear understanding of the carious process, this knowledge must take account of social influences on health when assessing the preventive strategy for individuals. A key factor is that caries is a lifelong process involving fluctuations in demineralization and remineralization. The dental team should ensure that the oral environment favours remineralization and avoids irreversible loss of enamel and dentine. An understanding of this'see-saw' process will influence not only our preventive philosophy but how we, as health professionals, diagnose and treat dental caries.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Preventing dental caries is an essential skill for all dental professionals. This article brings together the scientific basis of the appropriate advice.
authors.affiliation: Dental School, Coupland III, Manchester University, Manchester, UK.
authors.forename: Robin M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Davies
authors.affiliation: Population Oral Health, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Sydney, Westmead, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: Anthony S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Blinkhorn
mesh_terms: D002327:Cariostatic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000628:therapy; D003733:Dental Caries Susceptibility / Q000502:physiology; D057220:Health Literacy; D006801:Humans; D011313:Preventive Dentistry / Q000379:methods / Q000458:organization & administration; D011322:Primary Prevention / Q000379:methods / Q000458:organization & administration; D018570:Risk Assessment; D064890:Social Determinants of Health; D014089:Tooth Remineralization / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D002327:Cariostatic Agents