There is a wealth of information on preventive measures and procedures that can be used to care for paediatric and adolescent patients. However, few studies have been conducted in adult or geriatric populations, and an understanding of preventive and non-surgical treatment regimens for these patients is lacking. Traditionally, caries incidence is high among risk groups of low income, low dental IQ and certain ethnic subgroups, but we are now witnessing a high incidence of caries among middle-income and healthy adult patients with an imbalance of protective factors and cariogenic factors. We will direct our attention to the adult population and attempt to address some of the most common questions.