Dental decay

Patent Granted Dental caries (Latin, "rot"), also known as tooth decay or a cavity, is an infection, bacterial in origin, that causes demineralization and destruction of the hard tissues of the teeth (enamel, dentin and cementum). It is a result of the production of acid by bacterial fermentation of food debris accumulated on the tooth surface.[1] If demineralization exceeds saliva and other remineralization factors such as from calcium and fluoridated toothpastes, these once hard tissues progressively break down, producing dental caries (cavities or carious lesions, that is, holes in the teeth). Today, caries remains one of the most common diseases throughout the world. Cariology is the study of dental caries.