Dental caries is one of the most common childhood illnesses. The Surgeon
Generals report in the year 2000 considered the disease to be the single most
common chronic childhood illness, being five times more common than asthma
and seven times more common than hay fever. Dental caries is known to
be a multifactorial disease resulting from the interaction of diet and microorganisms
on tooth structure over time. Other risk factors which have been
suggested but not yet fully understood include early childhood infections and
the intake of certain medications such as antibiotics. These are...