Dental caries is an infectious disease of the hard dental tissues caused by the oral flora, which together with the host factor and the nutritional factor, influence the process of demineralization of the hard dental tissues and cavity formation. Root caries is a multifactorial disease that occurs in the elderly population and is associated with age-related physiological gingival recession that is significantly exacerbated when combined with poor oral hygiene. Because root caries is a multifactorial disease, there may be multiple factors that contribute to its occurrence, whether it be intraoral factors, behavioral factors, or population-related factors, all of which increase an individual's risk of developing root caries. on the tooth. Several studies show that the majority of root caries are primary lesions. This indicates the fact that the majority by controlling/modifying risk factors can prevent the occurrence and progression of tooth root caries.
The purpose of this paper was to highlight risk factors for the occurrence of root caries, methods of prevention and treatment. For the realization of this paper, several scientific and research papers, a literature search through the electronic database PubMed and an anonymous survey questionnaire were used in order to obtain information regarding the experience dentists have with root caries, regarding how they manage this dental problem. Identifying risk factors that contribute to the occurrence of root caries of the tooth is an important factor for a dentist, because by identifying and eliminating it, success is achieved in terms of preventive measures to prevent the occurrence of root caries of the tooth. There are a large number of risk factors, all of which directly or indirectly cause the development of root caries, and according to our respondents, the most common factors indicated for this problem are: bad edges of crowns, bad edges of restorations, bad oral hygiene and gingival recession. Therefore, the best preventive treatment will consist of identifying risk factors, improving oral hygiene, limiting carbohydrate intake and regular dental check-ups
