Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 6, 2026

Systematic Approach to Identify Novel Antimicrobial and Antibiofilm Molecules from Plants' Extracts and Fractions to Prevent Dental Caries
Published on: March 31, 2021
[Will root caries become a treatment problem of the future?]
R Heinrich1, J Heinrich, W Künzel
1Wissenschaftsbereich Präventive Stomatologie, Medizinische Akademie, Erfurt, DDR.
Abstract:
Based upon the present prevalence of root caries an attempt is taken to evaluate the future importance of this carious type. A population sample of 2,261 men and women aged 35 to 74 years were examined. The participation rate was 81%. Root caries was recorded when the lesion was obviously soft and located on cementum. The prevalence of root caries increased for both sexes almost consistently with age and ranged between 49 and 73%. In the mean 1.8 to 2.9 teeth were affected. Root caries was found more often among men than women. Over the sixth decades the reduction of the relative frequency of root caries was stated. Up to this age the rates of tooth extraction were higher than the rates of incidence. If it succeeded that in the future aged people will retain more teeth than nowadays a increase of root caries can be expected.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Teeth
In the bud stage, the tooth germ (an aggregation of cells) starts to form in the developing jawbone. During the cap stage, the tooth germ differentiates into enamel organ, dental papilla, and dental sac, which will later develop into the tooth's enamel, dentin and...
Tooth Anatomy
The Crown, Neck, and Root
The visible part of the tooth is referred to as the crown. It's covered by enamel, the hardest substance in the human body. The crown is uniquely shaped for each type of tooth, allowing for different functions such as cutting, tearing, or grinding food.

