Reproducibility of a new caries risk test under different oral conditions

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the reproducibility of the caries risk test Clinpro Cario L-Pop (3 M Espe, D-Seefeld), which measures the lactic acid produced by different bacteria of the oral flora, under stable oral conditions. In a group of healthy volunteers (n=31), the test was carried out ten times during 2 weeks. During the test period, the subjects were requested not to change their oral hygiene habits to ensure stable oral conditions. To register possible alterations of oral conditions by medication, a questionnaire was used. In subjects who did not alter their oral conditions (n=20), the reproducibility was 82.0%, with especially low score variations in subjects with low lactate signal scores. Some subjects exhibited, mainly due to colds and their medication, alterations in their oral conditions. The reproducibility in this group was 60.0%. Both reproducibility values differ significantly. In conclusion, the new diagnostic device shows high reproducibility under stable oral conditions. The lower reproducibility under altered oral conditions gives evidence that the test might reflect changes in the oral microflora following preventive interventions and thus could be used to monitor the effect of such interventions.