Antecedents and associations of root surface caries experience among 38-year-olds

Dental root caries is a common disease among elders. More efforts on preventing this disease are needed. Silver diammine fluoride (SDF) is known to prevent dental caries in primary teeth. However, clinical evidence of its efficacy in preventing root surface caries is limited. This clinical trial aimed to compare the effectiveness of SDF in preventing root caries among elders in a water fluoridated area. A total of 323 elders who had at least 5 teeth with exposed root surfaces and who had self-care ability were randomly allocated into 3 intervention groups: group 1 (placebo control), annual application of tonic water; group 2, annual application of SDF solution; group 3, annual application of SDF solution, immediately followed by potassium iodide (KI) solution. Oral hygiene instructions and fluoride toothpaste were provided to all subjects. Status of dental root surface was assessed every 6 mo by the same independent examiner. After 30 mo, 257 (79.6%) elders were reviewed. The mean numbers of root surface with new caries experience in the control, SDF, and SDF/KI groups were 1.1, 0.4, and 0.5, respectively (analysis of variance, P < 0.001). Scheffe’s multiple comparison showed that elders who received placebo developed more new root caries lesions ( P < 0.05), while the difference between the SDF and SDF/KI groups was not statistically significant ( P > 0.05). Moreover, elders who had higher visible plaque index scores at 30-mo examination (analysis of covariance, P < 0.001) and those who had higher baseline DMFT scores (analysis of covariance, P = 0.005) developed more new root caries. It is concluded that annual application of SDF or SDF/KI solution is effective in preventing root caries among community-dwelling elders in a fluoridated area ( ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02360124). Knowledge Transfer Statement: Annual topical application of silver diammine fluoride or silver diammine fluoride / potassium iodide solution is effective in preventing dental root surface caries among community-dwelling elders in a fluoridated area.

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Association of the Microbial Flora of Dental Plaque and Saliva with Human Root-surface Caries

Journal of Dental Research ◽

10.1177/00220345900690080301 ◽

1990 ◽

Vol 69 (8) ◽

pp. 1463-1468 ◽

Cited By ~ 42

Author(s):

J. Van Houte ◽

H.V. Jordan ◽

R. Laraway ◽

R. Kent ◽

P.M. Soparkar ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Dental Plaque ◽

Root Surface ◽

Mutans Streptococci ◽

Caries Experience ◽

Group I ◽

Actinomyces Species ◽

Streptococcal Species ◽

Group Ii ◽

Root Surface Caries ◽

Root Surfaces

Dental plaque was obtained from one or two sound root surfaces of subjects with different degrees of root-surface caries experience. From subjects with root-surface caries, plaque samples were also obtained from either one incipient or one more advanced lesion. Proportions of the total flora were determined for total streptococci and different streptococcal species, total and different Actinomyces species, and lactobacilli. A sample of saliva was obtained from about one-third of the subjects for determination of the concentrations of mutans streptococci and lactobacilli. The main observations were: (1) Subjects without root-surface caries or restorations (group I), as compared with subjects with root-surface caries with or without restorations (group II), were characterized by having a lower prevalence and proportion of mutans streptococci and a higher prevalence and proportion of A. naeslundii in plaque on sound root surfaces; (2) subjects in group I also tended to have a lower salivary concentration of mutans streptococci and lactobacilli than subjects in group II; (3) dental plaque on sound surfaces in group II subjects contained a lower proportion of mutans streptococci than plaque associated with incipient or advanced lesions; and (4) the prevalence and proportion of lactobacilli in plaque associated with sound as well as carious root surfaces were very low. The data reinforce findings from other studies and indicate that, as for coronal caries, the plaque and saliva populations of mutans streptococci specifically are correlated positively with the presence of root-surface caries.

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Antecedents and Associations of Root Surface Caries Experience among 38-Year-Olds

Caries Research ◽

10.1159/000345078 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 47 (2) ◽

pp. 128-134 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

W.M. Thomson ◽

J.M. Broadbent ◽

L.A. Foster Page ◽

R. Poulton

Keyword(s):

Root Surface ◽

Caries Experience ◽

Root Surface Caries

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Dental Caries in Adult and Elderly Chinese

Journal of Dental Research ◽

10.1177/00220345890680121001 ◽

1989 ◽

Vol 68 (12) ◽

pp. 1771-1776 ◽

Cited By ~ 41

Author(s):

W.-M. Luan ◽

V. Baelum ◽

X. Chen ◽

O. Fejerskov

Keyword(s):

Dental Caries ◽

Root Surface ◽

Sampling Procedure ◽

Caries Experience ◽

Rural Residents ◽

Dental Services ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Occlusal Surfaces ◽

Elderly Chinese ◽

Root Surface Caries

This paper reports on a study of dental caries conducted among 1744 urban and rural Chinese (from 20 to 80 years old), who were selected by means of a systematic srratifzed sampling procedure. The prevalence of one or more decayed or filled teeth ranged from 48 to 90% in urban residents, and from 51 to 97% in rural residents, depending on age. The mean number of decayed or filled teeth ranged from 1.2 (± 1.9) among 20-29-year-olds, to 6.2 (± 5.5) among 70+-yearolds, and was highest among rural residents. Among 20-29-year-olds, the main components of the DFT were enamel lesions and fillings. Among 30-49-year-olds, the DFT consisted mainly of enamel lesions and filled teeth, as well as teeth with lesions involving the pulpal tissues. In subjects over the age of 50 years, lesions involving pulpal tissues were the predominant type, followed by root-surface lesions. In subjects below the age of 50 years, most of the caries experience derived from coronal surfaces, particularly occlusal surfaces. Root-surface caries was predominantly a feature of persons aged 50 years and above. Despite a large number of surfaces being at risk of root-surface caries, less than 10% of the surfaces were so affected. Although cross-sectional in nature, these data indicate that when the oral hygiene standards are poor, caries lesions continue to develop and progress throughout life. With age, dental caries becomes a substantial oral health problem in this population of adult and elderly Chinese, despite the availability of some dental services.

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