Dental caries (tooth decay) is the most prevalent chronic disease worldwide, and it’s largely preventable. The earlier caries are detected the better, and BlueCheck® makes this simple.

Over 90% of people worldwide are affected by tooth decay.

The yearly cost is estimated at 2.7 million life years lost annually, and the yearly economic cost is around $300 billion.

Although there’s been an overall downward trend in caries for most Americans, that has recently reversed in young children. US Department of Health and Human Service notes "although cavities are largely preventable, they are one of the most chronic common conditions throughout the lifespan."

WHO Oral Health Report (1)

A world map showing the average number of decayed, missing, or filled permanent teeth per person by country, with color coding for different ranges of the data.

United States statistics

An infographic with a purple background showing a line drawing of a child and a tooth icon with a crack. The text states that 1 in 2 US children aged 6 to 8 have a cavity in at least one primary tooth.
Graphic showing four stylized human figures with text stating '1 in 4 US adults currently have untreated caries' and 'Adults aged 20 to 64'.
Illustration of a girl with a cavity in her tooth, accompanied by text stating that 1 in 2 US adolescents have a cavity in at least one permanent tooth, for ages 12 to 19.
A graphic showing an upward arrow, a dollar sign inside a circle, and text indicating the US spends over $124 billion annually on dental care.
Illustration of a smiling man in business attire with a tooth icon, accompanied by text indicating that 9 in 10 US adults aged 20 to 64 have suffered decay.
A downward arrow icon beside a bar chart next to a block of text. The text states that over 34 million school hours and more than US $45 billion in productivity are lost annually due to dental emergencies.

The WHO states that primary prevention remains the number one tool in oral health, as most oral conditions are preventable.

The first step in finding signs of disease is through caries detection. Current methods have limits in their ability to detect early-stage caries in enamel, these pre-visible caries are where disease begins and can be regressed by rebalancing the remineralisation process.

Mineralization and the caries process

The surface of a tooth is like a microscopic honeycomb structure of mineral crystals built into a tightly packed matrix of hydroxyapatite. There is a dynamic balance between pathological factors leading to demineralisation and protective factors supporting remineralisation of the crystalline structure and this occurs naturally throughout the day. The caries process is a continuum and which side of the balance determines whether caries form and if they progress or regress.

Our teeth decay when there is an imbalance between demineralization and remineralization. Bacteria in plaque metabolize sugars producing acid, this dissolves the crystal structure of tooth enamel (demineralization). Saliva reverses this naturally (remineralization) by supplying calcium and phosphate (in presence of fluoride) to the tooth, helping neutralize plaque acid. Remineralization treatments can also help restore the balance.

Graph illustrating the sensitivity and detection methods for caries, ranging from healthy to cavitation. The x-axis shows enamel depth in micrometers from 10 to 1500, indicating detection sensitivity. The y-axis lists stages of tooth health, from healthy to cavitation. Detection methods include visual inspection, laser device, X-ray bitewing, and BlueCheck, with sensitivity decreasing from left to right. The cost of treatment increases with the severity of decay, from $10 for early detection to $1500 for cavitation.

The key to arresting caries – early detection

Pre-visible lesions respond well to prevention interventions, the problem is they’re invisible – what can’t be seen doesn’t get fixed. Conversely, visible lesions that are readily detected, require more invasive treatments.

Chart titled 'Spectrum of caries treatments' showing four categories: Self Care Prevention, Preventive Intervention, Reactive Care, and Surgical Intervention. Below are illustrations of six teeth depicting healthy, pre-visible lesion, white spot lesion, carious enamel lesion, cavity with dentin decay, and cavity with pulp decay.

Early detection is challenging –BlueCheck makes it simple

BlueCheck makes caries lesions visible before they can be seen by the naked eye or in an radiograph,  by highlighting porous areas through a distinct blue color, giving clinicians and patients clear, objective evidence of the sites of demineralization. It is a simple and cost-effective way of identifying active, early caries lesions.

Progression chart showing stages of tooth decay from healthy to cavitation, including pre-visible lesion and white spot stages overlayed with BlueCheck detection of caries.
Close-up comparison of a tooth with early caries on the left and an area with blue color indicating BlueCheck detection on the right.

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