Caries Preventive Treatment Differences: Pediatric, Geriatric, and Special Need Populations

Objectives: Pediatric, geriatric, and individuals with cognitive/physical disabilities have higher caries prevalence rates than average in China and the U.S. Access to preventive dental care is a public health issue. This study aims to investigate the frequency caries preventive techniques are performed and identify caries preventive techniques commonly used in China and the U.S. on these vulnerable populations.
Methods: Varying levels of dental professionals from University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTSD), Guanghua School of Stomatology and United Family Healthcare Clinic in Guangzhou, China were given a 10-question survey. Responses from 44 subjects were analyzed. Chi-square and Fisher Exact tests were used to assess differences in frequency distributions among questions and relative response variables.
Results: Compared to the overall patient population (54.5%), respondents provided less caries preventive treatment to pediatric, geriatric, and special needs patients on a weekly basis (45.5%, 29.5%, 11.4%, respectively). Pit and Fissure Sealants, PFS, (100%), Fluoride Varnish, FV, (68%), Fluoride Gels, FG, (59.5%), and Silver diamine fluoride, SDF, (20.5%) were the most common caries preventive techniques respondents used in practice. The most common caries preventive treatments provided to pediatric patients were PFS>FV>FG. The most common caries preventive treatments provided to geriatric patients were FV>SDF>FG. The most common caries preventive treatments provided to special needs patients were PFS=FV>FG.
Conclusions: Preventive techniques for carious lesions should be applied more frequently to the vulnerable populations defined in this study. Geriatric and special need populations seem to be of most need for preventive dental care since respondents provided the least amount of caries preventive treatment to these populations. Although PFS, FV, FG, and SDF were the most common anti-caries preventive techniques, the frequency of their use differed greatly among each vulnerable population.