Probably it's both. If it would be really that easy to tell honest dentists (and society) would have no problem exposing the fake ones. But in many cases denti

Probably it's both. If it would be really that easy to tell honest dentists (and society) would have no problem exposing the fake ones. But in many cases dentists do protective/proactive treatment... that "brow spot looks like something, and maybe it's nothing, but let's make sure ..." ... which, yes, is reducing the number of cavities (by definition), but you have to get through the process. And if you have those spots for decades there's a good chance they would have continued to be nothing for more decades. Even with Xray it's an educated guess. (I mean in cases when someone goes for a checkup.) ... but there's the non-tech aspect, meaning that the application of dental sealants seem to be spreading slower than warranted.