Recent Advances In Diagnosis of Dental Caries

Teeth are tools that have evolved to ensure survival of species. Survival of all higher forms of life, depend on ingestion of food, its digestion and absorption, which acts as fuel for various life processes. Dental caries and periodontal disease are two most common oral diseases. Caries is a latin for rot or ¿rotten¿. Caries is a bio social disease rooted in the technology and economy of our society. An ideal caries detection method should capture the whole continuum of caries process, from the earliest to the cavitation stage. It should be accurate, precise, easy to apply, and useful for all surfaces of teeth, as well as for caries adjacent to restorations. we are at crossroads in caries detection where the older methods of detection are no longer adequate but newer methodologies are still being developed or are not yet widely disseminated. Knowledge about different diagnostc methods are critical to provide high standard of treatment.