CONTEMPORARY APPROACHES TO PREVENTING SECONDARY CARIES

Secondary caries is the most common cause for the replacement of restorations. It refers to a carious lesion that develops at the margin of an existing restoration, consisting of an "external lesion," which is a new primary carious process, and a "wall lesion," which occurs between the restoration and the cavity wall. This paper discusses the development, characteristics, and prevention of secondary caries. The etiological factors influencing the formation of secondary caries are similar to those for primary caries (such as diet, oral hygiene, and salivary activity), along with microcracks specific to secondary caries. Numerous studies have shown that the frequency of secondary caries varies depending on the type of restoration material, its class, fluoride content, and the individual caries risk of the patient.