Etiology of Dental Caries
Dental caries is a multifactorial disease in which
there is interplay of three principal factors. The HOST, THE MICROFLORA (dental
PLAQUE), and the SUBSTRATE. Diagrammatically these
can be portrayed as three overlapping circles (Figure 1).
For caries to occur, a susceptible host, a cariogenic dental plaque and a suitable substrate must be present. There are many theories regarding the mechanism of caries formation. Those that are commonly discussed are:
a. Chemical theory
b. Parasitic theory
c .Chemo-parasite theory
d. Proteolytic theory
e. Proteolysis-chelation theory