The most common sign of dental caries disease is the caries lesion. It
derives from an imbalance in the dynamic demineralization and remineralization
process resulting in a net loss of mineral over time. A system that categorizes
the location, site of origin, extent, and when possible, activity level of
caries lesions consistently over time can be used to determine which clinical
treatments and therapeutic interventions are most appropriate to control and
treat these lesions. The ADA Caries Classification System (CCS) offers
clinicians an approach to capture the spectrum of caries disease presentations
ranging from clinically unaffected (sound) tooth structure through noncavitated
initial lesions to extensively cavitated advanced lesions. The ADA CCS supports
the range of clinical management options needed to treat both noncavitated and
cavitated caries lesions. This course will provide clinicians with guidance
about how to operationalize the ADA CCS and insight about how it can improve the
clinical management of patient caries lesions.
Learning
Objectives:
-
Describe risk factors for and the prevalence of dental caries
- Differentiate levels of caries lesions
- Discuss the application of the ADA Caries Classifications System to
clinical practice
