Dental Caries is a Transmissible Infectious Disease: The Keyes and Fitzgerald Revolution

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Dr. Tanzer is Professor and Head, Division of Oral Medicine, Department of Oral Diagnosis, School of Dental Medicine, and Professor, Division of Clinical Microbiology, Department of Laboratory Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, CT 06030-1605.

This paper is written based upon the author's personal experiences while at the National Institute of Dental Research, his review of the literature and work in the field of cariology, and his recent personal interviews with P.H. Keyes and R.J. Fitzgerald during which their "state of mind" during the early years of their involvement in caries research was discussed.

Dr. Fitzgerald is currently a consultant to the South Florida Veterans Affairs Research Foundation, Miami, FL. Dr. Keyes is associated with the International Dental Health Foundation, Reston, VA.