Proactive intervention dentistry: a model for oral care through life.

Tools and techniques are available to oral care providers that have been found to be effective in reversing and controlling the caries process. In addition to fluoride, these tools include new remineralization therapies that can be incorporated into solutions, creams, and dentifrices, and bioactive restorative materials that work effectively with dental hard tissues. By incorporating such "proactive interventions" into their practice and educating patients on maintaining a daily oral hygiene regimen, clinicians can inhibit the multifactorial disease process of demineralization and caries before more extensive treatment becomes necessary.