Using the Dahlem Framework, this commentary distinguishes caries control, elimination, and eradication. Global eradication is judged conceptually unattainable because caries has no single agent, interruptible transmission cycle, vaccine, or universal incidence surveillance. Elimination as a stable end to caries as a public-health problem in a defined population is presented as a plausible, measurable goal.
Key findings
- Dental-caries eradication does not satisfy biological or surveillance criteria. • Population-level elimination is framed as more feasible than global eradication. • An elimination lens redirects policy from recurring treatment toward prevention and system-level determinants.
Why this matters globally
The framework could align oral-health targets, surveillance, and accountability across fluoride exposure, food environments, primary care, and equity. Its value lies in reframing caries as a population-system outcome rather than only an individual clinical problem.
Thai researcher contribution
Habib Benzian is affiliated with Chulalongkorn University in the source metadata, linking a Thai institution to an international policy argument that challenges conventional caries-management goals.
Limitations to consider
This is a conceptual commentary rather than an intervention trial or evaluation of an operating elimination programme. Feasibility must still be demonstrated through defined metrics, surveillance, and implementation studies.
Verify the original sources
Community Dentistry And Oral EpidemiologyCommunity Dentistry And Oral Epidemiology↗DOI: 10.1111/cdoe.70087