IADR Abstract Archives
Dental Plaque pH In Predicting Caries Relapse After General Anesthesia
Objectives: Numerous caries risk assessment (CRA) tools have been proposed in literature, with few validated in preschool children. Past caries experience, the best predictor thus far in literature, may not be a reliable indicator after clinical intervention. This longitudinal study was aimed to investigate the role of plaque pH in predicting future caries incidence after oral rehabilitation under general anesthesia (GA) among preschool children.
Methods: Ethical approval was obtained from the Institutional Review Board of Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taiwan (IRB no: 102-3921A32). Caries detection, plaque pH measurements, questionnaire survey and CRA, using Cariogram, were performed, among pre-schoolers indicated for GA, by two trained examiners, at baseline (n=92), and at 6-month (6M; n=83), 12-month (12M; n=79), and 24-month (24M; n=66) recall visits after GA. “Plaque pH”, the main independent variable, was recoded as a categorical variable at 6M and 12M recall into “low-pH” and “control” groups. Caries increment (Δdmft) at recall visits was the main study outcome. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression analysis were performed to investigate the association of plaque pH and caries increment at different recall visits. For each model, receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve was plotted to evaluate its predictive accuracy.
Results: High post-GA caries recurrence rates were observed, with 54.2% (6M), 79.7% (12M) and 90.9% (24M) of children developing new caries lesions at follow-up visits, despite routine preventive and educational measures. Individuals with low resting plaque pH at 6M and 12M recall visits, were shown to be at higher risk of 1-year caries incidence at 12M and 24M visits, respectively, compared to control group (both p<0.05). Moreover, plaque pH demonstrated superior predictive accuracy, compared to past caries experience and Cariogram.
Conclusions: Resting plaque pH may be a useful risk predictor for future caries development in high-risk children undergoing oral rehabilitation under general anesthesia.
Methods: Ethical approval was obtained from the Institutional Review Board of Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taiwan (IRB no: 102-3921A32). Caries detection, plaque pH measurements, questionnaire survey and CRA, using Cariogram, were performed, among pre-schoolers indicated for GA, by two trained examiners, at baseline (n=92), and at 6-month (6M; n=83), 12-month (12M; n=79), and 24-month (24M; n=66) recall visits after GA. “Plaque pH”, the main independent variable, was recoded as a categorical variable at 6M and 12M recall into “low-pH” and “control” groups. Caries increment (Δdmft) at recall visits was the main study outcome. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression analysis were performed to investigate the association of plaque pH and caries increment at different recall visits. For each model, receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve was plotted to evaluate its predictive accuracy.
Results: High post-GA caries recurrence rates were observed, with 54.2% (6M), 79.7% (12M) and 90.9% (24M) of children developing new caries lesions at follow-up visits, despite routine preventive and educational measures. Individuals with low resting plaque pH at 6M and 12M recall visits, were shown to be at higher risk of 1-year caries incidence at 12M and 24M visits, respectively, compared to control group (both p<0.05). Moreover, plaque pH demonstrated superior predictive accuracy, compared to past caries experience and Cariogram.
Conclusions: Resting plaque pH may be a useful risk predictor for future caries development in high-risk children undergoing oral rehabilitation under general anesthesia.