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Caries is a common, chronic and complex multifactorial disease that affects tooth structure, with devastating effects on health and quality of life. In this context, the aim of this paper is to describe early childhood caries, its diagnosis and treatment. The etiology is usually related to habits and lifestyles. These include frequent consumption of sugary foods, fermentable carbohydrates, lack of breastfeeding and/or poor oral hygiene. Genetic factors have an influence on the development of dental caries, as well as access to dental services or situations where immunocompetence is affected. Management of early childhood caries should be oriented toward prevention through the elimination of lifestyles and habits; after onset, measures should be taken to stop counteract the disease process and prevent or slow the progression of carious lesions toward cavitation and tooth destruction. Non-invasive or minimally invasive treatment approaches are preferable as they require fewer resources and represent less trauma to the infant.