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How regular visits and preventive programs affect onset of adult caries
1Osaka University Graduate School of Dentistry, 1-8 Yamadaoka, Suita 565-0871, Japan.
Journal of Dental Research
|June 16, 2012
Summary
Identifying high-risk adults for dental caries is crucial. Preventive programs effectively reduced caries risk by lowering levels of mutans streptococci and lactobacilli in high-risk patients.
Area of Science:
- Dentistry
- Oral Health
- Microbiology
Background:
- Effective preventive dental treatment requires individual caries and periodontal disease risk assessment.
- Current preventive strategies often lack proper caries-risk assessment due to insufficient knowledge of individual risk factors.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify adult patients at high risk for caries.
- To evaluate the effectiveness of preventive dental programs in managing caries risk.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of data from 442 adult patients in a general dental practice.
- Multiple logistic-regression and survival analyses (Cox regression, Kaplan-Meier) were employed.
- Assessment of cariogenic bacteria levels, specifically mutans streptococci (SM) and lactobacilli (LB).
Main Results:
- High levels of mutans streptococci (SM) correlated significantly with primary and secondary caries onset.
- Lactobacilli (LB) showed a significant correlation with secondary caries.
- After a three-year preventive program, the correlation between SM, LB, and caries risk disappeared.
- Conventional preventive programs alone were insufficient to control secondary caries in patients with high cariogenic bacteria levels.
Conclusions:
- Cariogenic bacteria, including SM and LB, play a significant role in caries incidence.
- Individualized caries-risk assessment is essential for effective preventive dental care.
- High-risk patients with elevated cariogenic bacteria may require additional, intensive preventive interventions.
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