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Tooth decay is by no means a new problem. Recent archeological findings that we have already reported on found ancient teeth that had clear signs of cavitation from bacteria. Back then, people thought teeth got ruined by tiny parasites, depicted to be something like gnats. We now know this to be untrue, of course. By tooth decay, we mean the thinning down and eventual cavitation of the tooth enamel, sometimes accompanied with the breaking of the tooth. The reason this happens is because the minerals in the teeth become dissolved, usually as a result of coming into contact with the acidic secretions of bacteria that live in the mouth, but there are several factors that lead to tooth decay.

Although super effective as a cancer treatment, bisphosphonates have been known to be extremely bad for the teeth. They cause osteonecrosis of the jaw, meaning that the jawbone itself starts to die, totally unable to support the different kinds of tissues, some soft, some hard, that grow on it.

The University of Liverpool is currently testing a new dental procedure, one that may provide an alternative solution to infected dentine. The technique is called revascularization, and can be performed in two visits, thus relieving the patients of long and painful root canal treatments.

The World Health Organization or WHO is the international body of the UN that is responsible for health care and for assessing the health situation of people around the world. They publish fact sheets periodically that detail a certain area of health care and give information on it from a global perspective. Their fact sheet # 318 is the one about oral health, and was published in April 2012.

The fact that tooth decay is one of the most prominent diseases on the globe today is not very surprising. But it seems more likely that refined foods and sweets of our times are not the only cause of this problem. A body belonging to a hunter-gatherer was found in Morocco that is at least 13700 years old, and shows signs of tooth decay.