Caries risk assessment in chilean adolescents and adults and its association with caries experience

Rodrigo Andrés Giacaman, Paulina Miranda Reyes, Valeria Bravo León

Cariogram is a computer program that uses an algorithm to assess caries risk. Although the use of Cariogram has recently increased, little information is available regarding its effectiveness in adults. This study aimed to determine whether caries risk from Cariogram relates to caries experience in adults. One hundred and eighty Cariogram files were completed from patients aged ten to fifty-six years (mean: 23.28 years). Seven factors from the software were included from patient records to complete the Cariogram: caries experience, diet (content and frequency), stimulated salivary flow, hygiene index, related diseases and fluoride usage. The percentages of "chances of avoiding new lesions" (caries risk) were obtained from Cariogram, and the subjects were classified into five risk groups. Results were compared for each variable with ANOVA, and a correlation between caries and Cariogram variables was calculated by Pearson's correlation coefficient. A multivariate regression model was also used. Only three patients were classified as low risk, and none were classified as very low risk. Thus, only the four upper quintiles were considered for the analysis, and the lower quintile was not considered in the study. Neither DMFT nor the number of lesions were significantly different among the Cariogram's risk categories (p > 0.05). Only diet content was significantly correlated with caries experience (p = 0.006). Caries lesions failed to correlate with any Cariogram variable (p > 0.05). Age, not sex or caries risk scores, showed a strong and positive association with DMFT (p < 0.01). Caries risk from Cariogram appears to be unrelated with caries experience or caries lesions in a high-caries adult population.