IADR Abstract Archives
Caries Risk Assessment and Management in Europe : the CARMEN Study
Objectives: Although knowledge of the pathophysiology of dental caries has increased, little information is available on caries risk management (CRM) in Europe. The aim of the CARMEN study was to describe dental clinicians’ (DC) adherence to caries risk management guidelines and the impact of their strategies in four European countries.
Methods: This was the first international large-scale observational, prospective, and retrospective longitudinal study conducted among DC in Bulgaria, Greece, Poland, and Portugal from 2019 to 2020. Data on DC and patient dental care were collected at inclusion, with a patient history of the last 3 years and 1 year of follow-up. Fifty-one DC were recruited:19 Bulgarian, 8 Greek, 14 Polish, and 10 Portuguese (63% women; mean age 44 years (± 12)). They had been practicing for a mean of 19 years. They included 1,009 patients (56% women; mean age 35.4 years (± 19.7)): 366 Bulgarian, 281 Greek, 276 Polish and 86 Portuguese.
Results: Dentists with specific university CRM training relied more on the application of guidelines in routine practice. A significant association was found between low patient’s socio-economic status on one hand, and higher caries risk, and presence of active carious lesions, on the other (P<0.001). Bulgarian DC claimed to apply less fluoridation (< 5%), performed more restorations (45%), but engaged more patients in therapeutic education than DC from other countries. Remineralization was mainly performed by the Polish DC. Assessment of oral dental health and reassessment of CRM were higher in Bulgaria and Poland than in Greece. More details are provided in Table.
Conclusions: Specific university training promotes adherence to caries risk recommendations. Dental caries risk and active carious lesions were linked to patients’ socioeconomic status. The diversity observed in CRM and counselling provided by DC in Europe should be explored following the COVID-19 period.
Methods: This was the first international large-scale observational, prospective, and retrospective longitudinal study conducted among DC in Bulgaria, Greece, Poland, and Portugal from 2019 to 2020. Data on DC and patient dental care were collected at inclusion, with a patient history of the last 3 years and 1 year of follow-up. Fifty-one DC were recruited:19 Bulgarian, 8 Greek, 14 Polish, and 10 Portuguese (63% women; mean age 44 years (± 12)). They had been practicing for a mean of 19 years. They included 1,009 patients (56% women; mean age 35.4 years (± 19.7)): 366 Bulgarian, 281 Greek, 276 Polish and 86 Portuguese.
Results: Dentists with specific university CRM training relied more on the application of guidelines in routine practice. A significant association was found between low patient’s socio-economic status on one hand, and higher caries risk, and presence of active carious lesions, on the other (P<0.001). Bulgarian DC claimed to apply less fluoridation (< 5%), performed more restorations (45%), but engaged more patients in therapeutic education than DC from other countries. Remineralization was mainly performed by the Polish DC. Assessment of oral dental health and reassessment of CRM were higher in Bulgaria and Poland than in Greece. More details are provided in Table.
Conclusions: Specific university training promotes adherence to caries risk recommendations. Dental caries risk and active carious lesions were linked to patients’ socioeconomic status. The diversity observed in CRM and counselling provided by DC in Europe should be explored following the COVID-19 period.