[Caries prevention in historical perspective. Social factors]

At the beginning of the twentieth century, children from poor families had less caries than children from affluent families. Later this changed: as the socio-economic status of the parents was higher, the children had less dental caries. The same relationship between socio-economic status and caries prevalence was later evident in adults. Throughout the twentieth century, in individuals with a low socio-economic status more teeth were extracted than in individuals with a high socio-economic status. At the end of the twentieth century, oral health in general was much better than at the beginning. That change is partly due to increased prosperity, increasing attention to oral hygiene, the introduction of fluoride toothpaste and the strong increase in the number of professionals in oral care. Increased knowledge of the causes and prevention of caries also played a role, if a less prominent one.