Risk of initial and moderate caries lesions in primary teeth to progress to dentine cavitation: a 2-year cohort study

To investigate the risk of sound surfaces, and initial and moderate caries lesions to progress to dentine cavitation in preschool children.

A cohort study was designed with 639 children (12-59 months old) who had been examined by visual inspection during a survey in 2010. After 2 years, 469 children were re-examined regarding the presence of dentine cavitations. The probability of progression was calculated for sound and carious (initial and moderate lesions) surfaces. Relative risk of progression and 95% confidence intervals for each condition compared with sound surfaces were calculated using multilevel Poisson regression analysis. Association with explanatory variables, including caries experience of the children, was also investigated.

The higher the initial score attributed to the dental surface, the more likely was the progression. Moreover, children with severe lesions at baseline had higher risk of having a sound surface or a non-cavitated caries lesion progressing to cavitation when compared with caries-free children; however, this increased risk was not observed in children with only initial caries lesions.

Initial caries lesions present a low frequency of progression. Moreover, sound surfaces and initial caries lesions in children already presenting cavitations are more likely to progress to more severe conditions.