Caries Risk Assessment: prediction of future caries risk

Oral diseases are the most common non-communicable diseases. Dental caries is the most common oral disease in the world. Plaque ,a precursor for dental caries comprises mainly of Oral microorganisms, Acids, Food debris & Saliva. Presently the t/t is focused on the etiology behind dental caries. Assessing all the risk factors of the disease helps to find out the etiology of the disease and gives a more accurate analysis of the risk of developing a caries in a particular patient and helps to give the best possible treatment. Caries risk assessment (CRA) is an evidence-based approach for preventing, reversing and, when necessary, repairing early damage to teeth tissue. Number of CRA methods have been proposed for use in clinical practice such as Caries Questionnaire in combination with Clinical Observations, American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry’s Caries-risk Assessment Form, The Cariogram Model, CARE test, CAMBRA, TLM. Incorporation of CRA into regular clinical practice can assist the dental professional in making standardized preventive and treatment recommendations e.g., frequency of recall visits, no of diagnostic radiographs needed etc)according to each patient’s caries risk.