Dental caries is now one of the biggest social problems in the world. It is considered to be a multifactorial disease in which play an important role four pathogenic factors: bacteria, sugars, susceptibility to tooth decay and the time at which all of these factors affect hard tissue of the tooth. It is estimated that 80–90% decay is determined by environmental factors. The World Health Organization (WHO) distinguishes four levels of play carious lesions: D1 (initial caries), D2 (superficial caries), D3 (average caries), and D4 (deep caries). Untreated caries leads to inflammation of the pulp, which predispose to expensive endodontic treatment. An important role in the treatment of dental caries played so early diagnosis and proper oral hygiene. The aim of this article is a summary of latest information on dental caries in the context of clinical, social and economic aspects.

Key words: dental caries, prevention, oral hygiene.