Caries Pattern and Diagnosis in Children and Young People Flashcards
What is caries
Disease of mineralised tissue
Caused by action of microorganisms on fermentable carbohydrates
In the very early stages, the disease can be arrested since it is possible for remineralisation to take place
What are the different caries classifications
decalcification pit and fissure caries smooth surface inter proximal recurrent/secondary early childhood/nursing bottle arrested rampant
Where are pits seen
on the lower first permanent molar, the palatal of the upper first permanent molar and there is a pit near the cingulum of the lateral incisor
What is nursing bottle caries
○ Typical pattern is children being put to bed with bottle/feeding cup
○ At night there is less saliva, higher caries risk
○ Lower incisor teeth tend to be spared as any saliva that we do get at night comes from the lower salivary gland
How is rampant caries classified
10 or more new lesions per year
Lower anterior affected
What is the caries pattern in primary dentition
- Lower molars, upper molars, upper anteriors
- Rare in lower anteriors, buccal/lingual surfaces (except rampant caries)
- Occlusal caries - effects second primary molars more than the first
- Interproximal caries - when the primary dentition first comes through there are lots of gaps so until the second molars come through then they start to develop contact areas. The spaces up until then are self cleansing so it is harder for inter proximal caries to develop
Enamel hypo mineralisation more susceptible to carious attack
What is the caries pattern in the mixed dentition
Caries rate in the lower 6’s is greater than the upper 6’s
pits prone to caries
Caries in the upper and lower incisors is uncontrolled caries
What is the caries pattern in the early permanent dentition
econd molars erupting and if the patient is high risk then you may want to consider putting a fissure sealant on the second molars
- Host factors
○ Reduced salivary flow rate (not common but possible)
High mutans count
What are caries management factors particular to children
parent involvement
development
dealing with two dentitions
Explain the assessment
- Parent/patient management
- Do they have any symptoms?
- History of present complaint
- Past dental history
○ Treatment experience to date
§ Oral hygiene habits, F history, dietary habits - Medical history
- Social history
- Caries risk assessment
What is the examination
- Extra-oral (asymmetry, nodes, etc)
- Intra-oral
What is an intra oral examination
soft tissues- Oralhygeine/swelings/sinuses/ulceration/gingival health
hard tissues § Teeth present, dental age § Occlusion § Loose, missing, extra teeth § Trauma § Dental anomalies Caries activity, past and present
How can we detect caries
clinical examination
radiographs
sensibility testing
vitality testing - blood supply
What are the different ways to do a clinical examination
○ Visual § Dry teeth, good light, sharp eyes § FOTI ○ Ortho separators (so we can physically see between teeth) ○ Caries detector dyes Lasers
What should we consider when deciding whether to retain or extract a tooth
○ Is the tooth restorable? Otherwise the tooth is coming out
○ Is the patient/parent compliant?
○ Stage dental development? If the tooth is due to fall out there is no point in placing a restoration
○ Space management? Don’t want drifting of permanent teeth resulting in crowding
○ Anticipated difficulties
○ Overall prognosis
If the tooth is restorable what do we need to think about
○ Choice of restorative material
○ Choice of restorative technique
○ Ideally decide cavity shape/form and restoration before starting
Permanent vs temporary restorations
What does stabilization consist of
○ Preventing pain
○ Preventative therapy
○ Arrest restorable lesions
Acclimatisation
What are exmaples of stabilization
hand excavation, use of carisolv, atraumatic removal technique, intermediate restorative material, glass ionomer, diet advice, oral hygiene instruction
When looking at patient/parent compliance what do we look at
motivation of parent (compliance, attendance, support at home)
motivation of child (compliance, OH)
cooperation of parent (any anxieties)
cooperation of child (emotional maturity, fears, previous bad experience, behavioral problems, ability to cooperate)