Book excerpt: For all introductory, clinical, and preventive courses in dental hygiene and dental assisting that cover preventive dental modalities and concepts. Organized for consistency, coherence, and readability, this fully updated text covers all areas of prevention in dental care. It first describes dental diseases and conditions, helping students clearly understand the processes that can be prevented through the use of preventive modalities or ideas. Next, it presents detailed strategies to prevent these diseases and conditions. Throughout, specific target populations are defined and described based upon scientifically valid preventive strategies aimed at their needs. This edition improves student understanding with more photos, illustrations, diagrams, and tables; highlights fun facts about the topic; adds a new chapter on the important influence culture plays in preventive dental care; and is supported by many new web-based review questions and case studies for each chapter.