Management of early caries Flashcards
what is caries?
Biofilm-mediated, sugar-driven, multifactorial, dynamic disease resulting in the imbalance of the demineralisation and remineralisation processes of dental hard tissues
-This definition emphasizes the dynamic nature of the disease and its dependency on both biological and environmental factors
what do caries lead to ?
localised destruction of these tissues, primarily driven by acids produced from bacterial fermentation of dietary carbohydrates.
Impact of caries on a child?
Eating
Sleeping
Tooth brushing
School
Lower participation in activities
Work attendance for parents when attending appointments
Damage to underlying permanent teeth
Orthodontic considerations due to extracted teeth
Hospitalisation/General anaesthetic experience
The burden of restorative care?
Restorations – lifecycle
Average life expectancy 91yrs of child born in 2024
Burden for child
Requirement for LA
Reduce chance of crown or extraction in future?
List some of the environmental impacts
1) Greenhouse gas emissions -associated with inhaled anaesthetic agents:
- sevofluorane 100x more potent than CO2 in terms of global warming potential (GWP)
- Nitrous oxide: sedation 300x GWP compared with CO2
2) Environmental persistence -
Anaesthetic gases not easily broken down in the atmosphere further exacerbating impact (e.g. sevofluorane has lifetime of 14yrs)
3) Waste and by-products - single-use materials, impromper disposal of anaesthetic agents and materials can lead to environmental contamination
4) Energy consumption- theatres are energy-intensive environments
what is the most common reasons for hospital admissions in children?
tooth decay
Number of tooth extraction admissions from 2022 to 2023 in 0-19 yr olds ?
47,581
Number of tooth extractions with primary diagnosis of tooth decay
315,165
with 60% = 5-9 yr olds
Cost of decay related extractions per child?
£1,300
£40.7 mill in 2023
list ways in which the pandemic impacted paeds
- Unable to provide AGPs eg. High speed handpiece with water, 3-in-1 together
- Use of alternative restorative options e.g. Hall crowns
- Focus on prevention- Strengthening community-based oral health programs and increasing public awareness of the importance of early dental visits could help mitigate the impact of similar disruptions in the future.
what were some modifications in tx approaches during pandemic?
To minimise aerosol production, there was a shift toward non-aerosol-generating procedures (NAGP) in paediatric dentistry.
Techniques such as silver diamine fluoride (SDF) application, atraumatic restorative treatment (ART), and the Hall Technique gained popularity as they offered effective caries management while reducing the risk of viral transmission.
how do clinically examine caries ?
- OH assessment first: plaque and calculus, gingival health, decay, demin, oral mucosa
- caries assessment next: dry, plaque free teeth
- Good overhead light
- Reflected light best from mirror
what are the advantages and disadvantages of visual inspection ?
Advantages:
Simple and non-invasive.
Provides immediate information.
Can be used to detect surface irregularities, discolorations, and cavitations.
Limitations:
Less effective in detecting early carious lesions, especially on occlusal surfaces and proximal areas.
Highly operator-dependent, requiring skill and experience to interpret findings accurately.
what is the IDAS system ?
- provides a consistent method for scoring dental caries that can be applied globally, allowing for more reliable comparisons across studies and populations.
- scoring focuses on the detection and classification of carious lesions. It categorizes lesions based on their severity, location, and activity status (active or inactive).
what is code 0?
Sound tooth surface: No evidence of caries after 5 sec air drying
what is code 1 ?
First visual change in enamel: Opacity or discoloration (white or brown) is visible at the entrance to the pit or fissure seen after prolonged air drying
what is code 2 ?
Distinct visual change in enamel visible when wet, lesion must be visible when dry
what is code 3?
Localized enamel breakdown (without clinical visual signs of dentinal involvement) seen when wet and after prolonged drying
what is code 4?
Underlying dark shadow from dentine
what is code 5?
Distinct cavity with visible dentine
what is code 6 ?
Extensive (more than half the surface) distinct cavity with visible dentine
what is ALARP?
Low As Reasonably Practicable
in radiology
when do we use radiographs?
Radiographic caries detection is highly accurate for cavitated proximal lesions, and seems also suitable to detect dentine caries lesions. For detecting initial lesions, more sensitive methods could be considered in population with high caries risk and prevalence.
BW freq for high risk children?
Every 6 months until no new or active lesions are apparent
BW freq for mod risk children?
Every 12 months until no new or active lesions are apparent
BW freq for low risk children?
every 12-18 months
BW freq for low risk adults and children with permanent dentition ?
every 2 years
consider extending the interval if continuing evidence of low caries activity
age for BW ?
4yrs above deepening on their dental condition and coop
what are some radiological considerations ?
- snapshot in time
- series over time required
- after progression in primary teeth
how do we use tooth separators ?
1- 7 days in situ
Check if cavitated or not
Use light-bodied silicone interproximal to check surface changes
- used to check inter proximal caries
lists some other diagnostic tools
Fibre optic transillumination: BWs detect dentinal and enamel lesions better diagnostic yield, therefore limited use
Electrical methods – focuses on electrical resistance, further research needed
Laser fluorescent diagnodent – fluorescence from bacterial by products
False positives and over treatment, limited use
Quantitive laser fluorescence – tooth tissue fluoresces under specific wavelength. - research stage
Caries activity tesets – check strep mutans levels
Dental caries risk factors:
- Behavioural
- biological
- environmental
- socio- economic
- medical conditions
- dietary