Introduction
Caries is the medical term for the infectious process that, if untreated, can progress to a cavity. A vast majority of people in the United States have at least 1 cavity by adulthood. In fact, dental caries is the most common chronic disease of childhood, affecting:

		58.6% of all 5- to 17-year-olds
		51.6% of elementary school students (5 to 9 years old)
		77.9% of 17 year-olds
		84.7% of adults

Dental caries are 5 times more common than asthma (11%) and disproportionately affect poor and minority populations. (View Risk Factors for Early Childhood Caries.) In pediatrics, there is a subset of patients who develop severe caries before 5 years of age. This process is termed Early Childhood Caries, or ECC.

Sections

1.	Etiology and Pathophysiology
2.	Factors in Development
			Bacteria
			Sugar
			Teeth
			Saliva
3.	What is Early Childhood Caries?
4.	Presentation and Teeth Affected
5.	Diagnosis and Stages
6.	Impact and Effects on Health
7.	Risk Factors in Early Childhood Caries
8.	Prevention of Early Childhood Caries
9.	Key Points
10.	Self-Assessment Questions