Although there has been more than 100 years since Miller first postulated about the caries etiopathogenesis, this disease remains the most prevalent noncontagious infectious disease in humans. It is clear that the current approaches to decrease the prevalence of caries in human populations, including water fluoridation and school-based programs, are not enough to protect everyone. The US National Institutes of Health Consensus Development Program released a statement in 2001 entitled "Diagnosis and Management of Dental Caries Throughout Life: (NIH Consensus statement Online 2001 March 26-28; 18(1): 1-24) and listed six major clinical caries research directions.
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