Well, since you asked, I was told by two dentists that the ph of saliva tends to contribute the most to dental decay. So the goal is to eat a diet that keeps the ph of the body and saliva in an alkaline condition. I also think that flossing and brushing 1 to 3 times daily is helpful too. That will keep food particles from staying on the enamal. If there is, for example, sodium in a piece of food that is on your tooth which has calcium in it, you now have two dissimilar metals together to create galvanic currents which will eat away at the metals. The ph of your saliva will determine the intensity of the electrical activity. I believe that it is these little pico currents that over time cause the tooth to decay.