Abstract
Objective
To investigate whether the classification of a patient’s caries activity based on lesion activity assessment can predict the increment and progression of coronal and root caries lesions among adults.
Methods
This population-based prospective cohort study followed 413 individuals (mean age 54.1) from southern Brazil for 4 years. Data collection included a questionnaire and clinical examination to record coronal/root caries and gingival recession. The main outcomes were caries increment measured as decayed, missing and filled tooth surfaces (DMFS) and caries progression (surface-level analysis). The main predictor variable was patients’ caries activity at baseline (“caries-inactive” or “caries-active”). Negative binomial regression models (unadjusted and adjusted) were used.
Results
Caries-active individuals were more likely to present DMFS increment than caries-inactive ones when migrations among DMFS components were considered (IRR [incidence risk ratio] = 1.26, 95%CI [confidence interval] = 1.01–1.58). On the other hand, no such association was found when these migrations were disregarded. The risk for coronal caries progression on filled surfaces was 90% higher among caries-active patients (IRR=1.9; 95%CI=1.4–2.6). In addition, patient’s caries activity was able to predict higher risk for root caries progression in newly exposed root surfaces (IRR=1.9; 95%CI=1.0–3.6).
Conclusion
The classification of a patient’s caries activity based on lesion activity was able to foresee lesion progression on the coronal and root surfaces more susceptible to caries among adults.
Clinical relevance
Classifying a patient’s caries activity is a useful tool for the clinical management of dental caries in adults.
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Acknowledgements
We would like to thank the Ph.D.s Mauricio Santos Moura and Tassiane Panta Wagner and the MSs Bárbara Rocha Christofoli, Guilherme Andrade Denadai, Natacha Amin, and Joseane Goergen for their invaluable help with the daily running during the fieldwork.
Funding
We received the support of the National Coordination of Post-Graduate Education (CAPES), the Ministry of Education of Brazil (funding code 001), and the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul.
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A.G.R., C.M.I., F.S.R., and R.S.A.C. collected the data. A.G.R, A.N.H., and L.S.A. conducted the statistical analysis. A.G.R., J.J.J., L.S.A., and M.M. wrote the manuscript. M.M. designed the study and supervised the project. All the authors reviewed the manuscript and gave their final approval.
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The study protocol was approved by the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul Research Ethics Committee number 1974. The research was conducted ethically, in accordance with the World Medical Association Declaration of Helsinki.
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All the participants and their parents/legal guardians provided written informed consent.
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Rup, A.G., Izquierdo, C.d., Rios, F.S. et al. Classification of a patient’s caries activity based on lesion activity assessment among adults: findings from a prospective cohort study. Clin Oral Invest 27, 1123–1131 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00784-022-04702-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00784-022-04702-8