Comparison of methods for controlling dental caries in the classical medicine and alternative medical practices and future prospects

Dental caries is a multi-factorial disease and the most common human infection that annually are spent millions dollars to control and treat it. Several methods have been proposed so far to control it. The most important control methods it is now include: dental hygiene, proper nutrition, fluoride therapy, the use of non-cariogenic sweeteners. Also, the use of probiotics, nanomaterials, bacteriophages, antimicrobial peptides and anti-caries vaccines can be considered as new perspective of human in the dental caries control field. In addition, the use of complementary and alternative therapies, especially herbal drug therapy recently has been considered. Demonstrating the efficacy of complementary medicine against dental caries and its use in combination with conventional medicine or trial of new methods for decline of dental caries in the future would be hopeful.