Which of the following best describes a primary prevention approach in dentistry?

• A. Education on diet and oral hygiene
• B. Extraction of teeth
• C. Root canal therapy
• D. Caries restoration

Answer: (A)

Primary prevention in dentistry aims to stop disease before it starts by addressing factors that increase risk. Education on diet and oral hygiene directly reduces caries risk by guiding patients to limit sugary foods, improve daily plaque control, and adopt behaviors that protect tooth surfaces. This contrasts with interventions that address damage after it has occurred: extracting a tooth removes a problem tooth but doesn’t prevent disease elsewhere, while root canal therapy and caries restoration are treatments to save or repair a tooth after decay has progressed. So, educating patients about diet and oral hygiene best represents the preventive approach intended to keep teeth healthy in the first place.