Dental caries: intervened – interrupted – interpreted

This paper comprizes a summarizing discussion for a set of 13 papers on the theme caries decline. The complexity of the issue is highlighted, and it is concluded that there is not one single factor explaining the changes observed. Actually, in one and the same population, different explanations may be relevant for different individuals, for different age groups, for different teeth and for different periods of time. A new model for understanding the interaction of various caries etiological factors is proposed. The model can illustrate how in one situation caries activity can increase (or decrease) due to one such factor, while in another situation different factors are more important. As it, in a graphic way, maps the interactions of relevant factors, the author has chosen to call it a cariogram, and the process of preparing such graphs, cartography.