Pit and Fissure Sealants

Dental caries is one of the most prevalent oral disease in the history of human affliction. With the omnipresent supply of processed sugar the rise of food production and promotions as well as the manufacturing of sugar drinks and desserts the introduction of the new caries outbreak began in the late 19th century. The disease is not caused by a single factor but by the interaction of several factors some of which contribute to adverse changes in bacterial ecology in the biofilm that adheres to the tooth surfaces. It is essential to ferment mono-and disaccharides and cooked starch in the biofilm by some bacterial species but not sufficient alone to induce caries. As a consequence of the fermentation of carbohydrates the increased acidity of the biofilm contributes to a harmful emergence of bacterial species that can live in acidic conditions and generate higher acid levels through fermenting carbohydrates.