The results of this analysis suggest that further efforts are required to synthesise, systematically, current information about dental health education, along with the maintenance of rigorous scientific standards in research.

The current paper reviews the influence of genetics on susceptibility of dental caries. It is clear from many dietary studies that, variation in susceptibility to dental caries exists even under the identical, controlled conditions. This implicates that, because of genetic differences, certain environmental factors are potentially more cariogenic for some people than for others. Although there is clear evidence that dental caries is a multifactorial, infectious disease, with many contributory environmental factors, there is also strong evidence for a genetic component in the etiology of this disease. Studies of twins, families, and animal models have all indicated that caries has a genetic component. Evidence of a genetic contribution to caries is based on four questions examining inheritance that altered the dental hard tissues; the immune response; sugar metabolism & consumption; salivary flow, salivary constituents; & salivary defense systems. Caries phenotypes in the primary dentition were highly heritable, with genes accounting for 54-70% of variation in caries scores. The heritability of caries scores in the permanent dentition was found to be 35-55%. The current paradigm of disease treatment is not designed to account for the multitude of genetic information known to impact our oral health. It may be time for another adjustment in our view of paradigm of oral health & disease treatment.

No abstract

A community intervention trial was conducted to assess the feasibility of APF gel as a caries-preventive agent in a high-risk group of school children in Bangalore City. The study was conducted in two schools, randomly selected from a list of schools catering to underprivileged children. These schools were randomly allocated into experimental and control groups. Children aged 9-16 years having three or more incipient or cavitated primary or secondary carious lesions were enrolled in the study. In the experimental group, APF gel was applied and oral health education was provided to both groups at baseline and 6 months. Follow-up examination was performed at 6 and 12 months and the caries status was recorded by an investigator who was blinded to the allocation of intervention. There was no statistically significant difference in DMFT and DMFS values, but a significant difference was seen in incipient carious lesions between the experimental and control groups at 6 and 12 months. These results suggest that biannual APF gel application is an effective preventive measure in reversing incipient carious lesions.

Triphala has been used in Ayurveda from time immemorial and has many potential systemic benefits. The promising results shown by Triphala call for further investigations of its antimicrobial effects against the numerous oral microorganisms.