Prevalence and intraoral distribution of coronal and root caries in middle-aged and older adults.

This work describes the prevalence and intraoral distribution of coronal and root caries in 326 predominantly white, educated, middle-aged and older adults. Study participants were recruited from Tufts Geriatric Outreach Program, Nutritional Status Study (NSS), and the Forsyth Root Caries Study. Eighty-five percent of participants reported visiting their dentist in the last year. The median number of teeth was 21 in the 65+ age-group, and 40% of participants had coronal caries and 33% had root carious lesions. The mean coronal and root caries (DFS) was higher and the proportion of decayed surfaces to all decayed and filled surfaces (%D/DFS) was lower than in other comparable studies. A comparative analysis of intraoral distribution of coronal and root caries and their relation with age is discussed.     

Coronal and root caries incidence and increments

This study reprots on coronal and root caries incidence in elderly lowans between 1987 and 1988. The sample consisted of 74 survivors ofthe lowa 65+Oral Health Study cohort who recieved oral examinations both who recieved oral examinations both in 1987 and between 1996‐98. The study found that average untreated coronal and root increments were 0.96 and 0.69 surfaces, filled increments were 18.22 and 1.28 surfaces, and combined increments were 18.3 and 1027 sufaces, respectively. Therefore. annualized untreated coronal and root increments were 0.10 and 1.07 surfaces, filled were 1.80 and 0.13 surfaces, and combined increments were 1.81 and 0.12 surfaces, respectively. The annualized attack rates were 2.13 for coronal and 0.80 for root caries. Approximately 93% of the subjects developed some new coronal and 43% some new root caries increment. Dental caries still constutute a significant problem since a large proportion of the elderly developed caries during this period. This suggests a need for improved preventive and treatment strategies for this aged population.     

Root Caries Prevalence in Black and White North Carolina Adults over Age 65

The baseline root caries prevalence of 809 dentate black and white home-dwelling North Carolinians over age 65 was determined along with the collection of a large number of demographic and behavioral, clinical, and microbiological variables in the longitudinal Piedmont over-age-65 Dental Study. In comparison to other studies of older adults, the prevalence of decayed-filled root surfaces (DFRS) was low, fewer than 2.0 DFRS in whites, and significantly fewer than that in blacks (1.3 DFRS). Although tooth loss was a substantial problem, nearly half of the white population and almost two-thirds of the black participants exhibited no evidence of root caries history. Even though DFRS prevalence was much lower in blacks, their treatment need for decayed root surfaces (DRS) was significantly higher than for white participants. Correlates with DRS within both race groups appeared to be those that reflect lack of access to dental services or neglect of oral health--decayed coronal surfaces, higher rates of tooth extraction, high CPITN scores and worst loss of attachment greater than or equal to 7 mm, and more than a year since the last dental visit. Some variables were associated significantly with one racial group, but not the other, while others, particularly root surfaces at risk and age, were not associated significantly with DRS. We concluded that although there was considerable neglect of root caries, particularly among blacks, it was not a serious problem among older North Carolinians.     

Root surface caries prevalence and associated factors among adult patients in an acute care hospital.

There have been many studies reporting on the prevalence of root surface caries in elderly populations, but there is little consistency in these reports concerning the associated risk factors. In the present study, intraoral examinations were carried out on adult patients (age range 22 to 91 years, mean age 57.9) on the acute care wards of a teaching hospital. Of the 103 patients examined, 23.3% exhibited carious lesions on root surfaces, these lesions occurring more frequently in males than in females, and more frequently in the 60 years and older age groups. Forty-five per cent of all root lesions recorded were found on the buccal or facial root surfaces of teeth exhibiting root surface caries. Individuals exhibiting root surface caries had more surfaces with gingival recession and loss of attachment greater than or equal to 3mm, more retained roots, higher DMFT values, and less teeth. However, statistically significant relationships were not obtained between root surface caries and a) coronal caries, b) dental plaque, c) calculus, d) bleeding on probing, and e) probing depth greater than or equal to 4mm. Thirty-three strains of Actinomyces viscosus were isolated from plaque samples taken from root surface lesions compared to 21 strains isolated from intact root surfaces.     

Factors associated with caries incidence in an elderly population

The purpose of this paper was to identify baseline factors associated with future caries development in older adults (age 60) during a 3-year study period. Poisson regression analysis was used to determine the association between potential risk factors and disease incidence. The significant factors associated with high coronal caries incidence rates were high baseline root DMFS ( P < 0.001), high counts of mutans streptococci and lactobacilli ( P =0.036), male geder ( P =0.007), and Asian ethnicity ( P < 0.002). These factors had small to moderate effects on incidence rates, with relative risk values of approximately 1.2 to 2 The significant factors associated with higher disease incidence on root surfaces were baseline coronal DMFS (marginally significant, P =0.078), high bacterial counts ( P =0.002), and Asian ethnicity ( P =0.009). The predictive value of the models was low for both coronal and root caries. This result may be because this population had a higher than usual caries incidence rate, making discrimination among these caries-active individuals difficult. The current study affirmed the value of baseline DMFS and salivary variables to modeling caries incidence and introduced ethnicity as a variable useful for the study of dental caries in older adults.     

Root surface caries and associated factors

Abstract – The prevalence of root surfaces caries in 208 randomly selected 55, 65, and 75-yr-old Swedes was related to the frequency of coronal caries, the number of remaining teeth and to bacteriologic, salivary, and dietary variables. At least one decayed or filled root surface was found in 89% of the individuals and all of those had also experienced coronal caries. The frequency of root surface caries was positively correlated to the frequency of coronal decay and negatively correlated to the number of remaining teeth and exposed root surfaces. The study shows that the same factors which are associated with enamel caries seem to be of importance in determining the development of root surface caries. The variation in the frequency of root surface caries was best explained by the salivary levels of mutans streptococci and lactobacilli, the percentage of surfaces harboring plaque and the frequency of carbohydrate intake. Other contributory factors were the saliva secretion rate and the buffer capacity.     

Root surface caries and associated factors

The prevalence of root surfaces caries in 208 randomly selected 55, 65, and 75-yr-old Swedes was related to the frequency of coronal caries, the number of remaining teeth and to bacteriologic, salivary, and dietary variables. At least one decayed or filled root surface was found in 89% of the individuals and all of those had also experienced coronal caries. The frequency of root surface caries was positively correlated to the frequency of coronal decay and negatively correlated to the number of remaining teeth and exposed root surfaces. The study shows that the same factors which are associated with enamel caries seem to be of importance in determining the development of root surface caries. The variation in the frequency of root surface caries was best explained by the salivary levels of mutans streptococci and lactobacilli, the percentage of surfaces harboring plaque and the frequency of carbohydrate intake. Other contributory factors were the saliva secretion rate and the buffer capacity.     

Estimating rates of new root caries in older adults

Although older adults are keeping their teeth longer, no national data are available on new caries in this age group. To characterize the extent of caries among older adults, we systematically reviewed studies on root caries incidence, increment, attack rate, and annual total (root + coronal) caries increment. We used a random-effects model to estimate annual summary measures and their 95% confidence intervals (CI) and tested for heterogeneity. For the 9 studies reporting root caries incidence, the summary measure equaled 23.7% (CI = 17.1-30.2%). For the 9 studies reporting root caries increment, the summary measure was 0.47 surfaces (CI = 0.34-0.61). For the 7 studies reporting total caries increment, the summary measure equaled 1.31 surfaces (95% CI = 1.01-1.61 surfaces). Because of heterogeneity, summary measures should be interpreted with caution. This research suggests, however, that older adults experience high rates of new caries and could benefit from caries-prevention programs.     

Incidence of Coronal and Root Caries in an Older Adult Population

Incidence rates for new root caries and new coronal caries in noninstitutionalized older adults are unknown. In this study, a representative sample of 451 elderly Iowans received dental examinations at the start of the study and again after 18 months. This dentate cohort had a mean of 0.87 new surfaces of coronal decay per person per year and a mean of 0.57 new surfaces of root decay per person per year. Coronal caries occurred at an annual rate of 1.4 surfaces per 100 susceptible coronal surfaces. Root caries occurred at an annual rate of 2.6 surfaces per 100 susceptible root surfaces. This study shows that both coronal and root caries were active in this older population, indicating a need for emphasis on the prevention and treatment of dental caries in older adults.     

Effects of hyposalivatory medications on saliva flow rates and dental caries in adults aged 65 and older

Institutionalized adults aged 65 or older often receive medications that have been associated with decreased saliva flow. Flow rates depressed by hyposalivatory medications are thought to increase susceptibility to dental caries. In this study, a cross-sectional comparison was made of stimulated whole saliva rates and coronal and root caries prevalence in a group of older adults, in a long-term care facility, taking hyposalivatory medications vs. a control group. No significant differences were found between the two groups in masticatory or gustatory stimulated flow rates or in mean decayed coronal or root surfaces.     

Root surface and coronal caries in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus

OBJECTIVES: To determine the effect of type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) on coronal and root surface caries and to investigate some factors suspected of being related to or interacting with DM, that may be associated with coronal and root surface caries. METHODS: A stratified cross-sectional study was conducted in 105 type 2 diabetic patients and 103 non-diabetic subjects of the same age and gender. Coronal and root surface caries, exposed root surfaces, periodontal status, stimulated salivary functions, oral hygiene status, oral health behaviors, and counts of mutans streptococci and lactobacilli were measured. RESULTS: Type 2 diabetic patients compared with non-diabetic subjects had a higher prevalence of root surface caries (40.0% versus 18.5%; P = 0.001), a higher number of decayed/filled root surfaces (1.2 +/- 0.2 versus 0.5 +/- 0.1; P < 0.01) and a higher percentage of generalized periodontitis (98.1% versus 87.4%; P < 0.01); but the prevalence and decayed/filled surface of coronal caries was not significantly different (83.8% versus 72.8% and 8.0 +/- 9.4 versus 6.3 +/- 7.5 respectively). The factors associated with root surface caries included type 2 DM, a low saliva buffer capacity, more missing teeth, and existing coronal caries; whereas wearing removable dentures, more missing teeth, a high number of lactobacilli, and a low saliva buffer capacity were associated with coronal caries. CONCLUSION: Type 2 DM is a significant risk factor for root surface, but not for coronal caries. Periodontal disease should be treated early in type 2 diabetic subjects to reduce the risk of subsequent root surface caries.     

New coronal caries in older adults: implications for prevention

To characterize the extent and severity of coronal caries among older US adults and document their need for prevention interventions, we systematically reviewed studies on coronal caries incidence, increment, and attack rate. We abstracted six studies and calculated summary measures using a random-effects model (95% confidence interval [95%CI]). We tested for heterogeneity and identified associated factors by examining the correlation between outcome measures and baseline population risk and study characteristics. We re-calculated summary measures after adjusting outcomes that netted out examiner reversals. Incidence and increment varied significantly by study. Adjusting studies for netting out examiner reversals reduced heterogeneity significantly. Annual attack rate among adjusted North American studies was 1.4 surfaces per 100 surfaces (95%CI = 1.0-1.9), or approximately 1 new carious surface per person per year. These rates are equal to or higher than those in children and indicate a need for caries-prevention services.     

Caries incidence and increments in Adelaide nursing home residents

The objective of The Adelaide Dental Study of Nursing Homes was to quantify coronal and root caries incidence and increments in residents of Adelaide nursing homes. A longitudinal design was used to conduct dental inspections, completed by calibrated dental examiners, for residents of 7 randomly selected nursing homes at both baseline and at one‐year follow‐up. The nursing home residents in this study were very functionally dependent, medically compromised, cognitively impaired and behaviorally difficult older adults. The coronal caries surface incidence was 64.4% and root caries surface incidence was 48.5%. There were 72.1% of residents who had coronal and/or root cartes increments between baseline and one‐year. The coronal and root caries increments in these residents were high (adjusted caries increment = 2.5 coronal and 1.0 root surfaces), and were many times greater than that reported from a longitudinal study of community‐dwelling older adults in Adelaide. Residents with eating and nutritional problems developed high levels of new caries. Both coronal and root caries incidence and increments were high in these nursing home residents over the one‐year follow‐up period.     

Dental caries experience in older people over time: what can the large cohort studies tell us?

BACKGROUND: Little was known of the natural history of dental caries among older adults until recently, but reports from a number of large cohort studies have now enabled better understanding of the nature and determinants of dental caries in older people. The aim of this review is to examine and compare findings from established population-based longitudinal studies of older adults in order to determine their preventive implications. METHODS: The dental literature was reviewed in order to identify reports on dental caries incidence from large, population-based dental longitudinal studies of older adults (age 50+) with at least 3 years of follow-up. RESULTS: Reports were identified from four studies (in Iowa, North Carolina, Ontario and South Australia) which met the criteria; four reports dealt with coronal caries, and five with root surface caries. When annualised, coronal and root surface caries increments were combined and compared with those reported for adolescents, the caries experience of older people over time (between 0.8 and 1.2 new surfaces affected per year) exceeded that reported from cohort studies of adolescents (between 0.4 and 1.2 surfaces per year). The only caries risk factor common to all four studies was the wearing of a partial denture (for root surface caries only). CONCLUSIONS: Older people are a caries-active group, experiencing new disease at a rate which is at least as great as that of adolescents. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Dentate older people should be the target of intensive monitoring and preventive efforts at both the clinical practice and public health levels. There is no easily identifiable 'magic bullet' for preventing caries in that age group, but the use of evidence-based preventive interventions (such as fluoride) should suffice.     

Epidemiology of oral diseases.

Recent epidemiologic findings for coronal and root surface caries, enamel fluorosis, and the periodontal diseases are reviewed. Incidences of coronal caries in children have continued to decline (at an accelerated rate in some populations) during the 1980s. Two possible reasons other than fluorides for these trends are a change in providers' criteria for treatment of pit and fissure caries and the use of dental sealants. Further declines are anticipated, particularly if benefits resulting from preventive programs can be extended to lower socioeconomic groups. The study of root caries has evolved to include concerns of standardized measurement, documentation of incidence in addition to prevalence, and use of multivariate analyses to identify potential explanatory variables. Evidence supports an increase in the prevalence of enamel fluorosis, generally of the milder forms; use of fluoride supplements and toothpastes at an early age may be risk factors for this condition. The prevalence of severe periodontal disease in the general population is low. Initial assessments of risks for periodontal disease progression have identified a number of potential factors that are related to the diseases in a complex way. Significant analytic advances have been made to aid in risk-factor identification.     

Prevalence of root and coronal caries in a noninstitutionalized older population

This paper describes the prevalence of coronal caries and root caries in a sample of 520 people representative of the noninstitutionalized, dentate population older than age 65 in two rural Iowa counties. The subjects were examined in their homes by trained dental examiners. All prevalence rates were age- and gender-adjusted. Both types of caries were prevalent in the population age 65 and older. If projections of increased numbers of older people and increased retention of teeth are reasonably accurate, caries in older populations may become a significantly greater dental problem, and increased prevention and treatment of caries will be needed for these people.     

Do Root Lesions Tend to Develop in the Same People Who Develop Coronal Lesions?

Objectives : The three purposes of this study are to: (1) describe the relationship between the prevalence of coronal caries and root caries; (2) describe the relationship between the three-year incidence of coronal caries and root caries; and (3) if the two conditions are associated, develop a multiple regression model that identifies characteristics distinguishing people who had increments of both root caries and coronal caries from people who had increments of either coronal caries or root caries, or who had no new caries. Methods : Dental examinations and interviews were conducted in the homes of a randomly selected, stratified sample of people over the age of 65 years in five North Carolina counties. The relationships between coronal and root D and DF were analyzed through contingency table analyses, and ordinal logistic regression was used to identify characteristics that differentiated people who had both coronal and root D over the three years from people who had either coronal or root D and people who had no new disease. Results : Evidence of root and coronal caries in whites was much more likely to be in the form of fillings, while for blacks, it was more likely to be in the form of untreated decay. Prevalence rates of coronal and root D and DF were significantly associated for both blacks and whites. Incidence rates based on DF indicated that root and coronal caries were not associated in whites, but were associated in blacks. People more likely to experience both types of caries had more gingival recession at baseline, greater average attachment loss over the three years, and lactobacilli at baseline. In addition, the presence of Porphymonas gingivalis at three years was important for whites. Conclusion : It appears that coronal and root caries do tend to appear together in the same individuals, but fillings attenuate that relationship. The impact of dental treatment on the epidemiology of dental caries appears to be considerable and calls into question whether the F component of the caries index is related to disease as defined by epidemiologic criteria.     

根面龋的预防与治疗

随着我国人口老龄化加剧,根面龋的发生率逐年升高。与冠部龋坏不同,根面龋多发生于老年患者牙龈退缩后暴露的根面上,主要累及根部牙骨质和牙本质,在发病特点、临床表征、诊断和防治上都有其特异性。本文从根面龋的病因和危险因素、病理和临床表现、分类、三级预防等方面进行阐述,以期为根面龋的临床防治提供参考。     

Saliva, salivary micro-organisms, and oral health in the home-dwelling old elderly--a five-year longitudinal study.

High scores of chair-side salivary microbial tests have been found to be related to an increased prevalence and incidence of coronal and root caries. Many elderly face an increased risk of the growth of oral microbes, and previous studies have reported high salivary microbial counts in elderly populations. The aim of this follow-up study was to compare, at five-year intervals, stimulated salivary flow rates with the numbers of selected salivary micro-organisms (mutans streptococci, lactobacilli, and yeasts) in a group of home-dwelling elderly in Helsinki. A further aim was to study the influence of baseline microbial counts on five-year root caries increments and rates of tooth loss. The baseline study population was comprised of 270 subjects who were all participants in the population-based Helsinki Aging Study. Salivary flow rates and microbial conditions were determined as part of their dental examination at the Institute of Dentistry, University of Helsinki, in 1990-1991. Of these subjects, 110 underwent a follow-up examination in 1995-1996. Commercially available kits (Dentocult SM strip mutans for mutans streptococci, Dentocult LB for lactobacilli, and Oricult N for yeasts) were used for the enumeration of micro-organisms, after the collection of paraffin-wax-stimulated whole saliva. The stimulated whole saliva flow rates of the subjects were significantly lower at the follow-up than at baseline (paired t test, difference -0.16 mL/min; p < 0.05), whereas buffer capacity was higher (paired t test, difference 0.19 on a three-unit scale; p < 0.05). Apart from lower salivary lactobacilli counts at follow-up (paired t test, difference -0.44 CFUs/mL of saliva; p < 0.001), no changes were found in salivary microbial levels. Salivary microbial counts were clearly associated with the subjects' dentition types: More denture-wearers had high microbial counts than persons with natural dentitions. None of the salivary factors correlated with the root caries incidence or the number of teeth lost during the five-year follow-up.     

Eighteen-month Coronal Caries Incidence in North Carolina Older Adults

In this longitudinal study of a random sample of North Carolinians over the age of 65 and living in their homes, 325 blacks and 280 whites were examined and interviewed 18 months after baseline examinations. Coronal caries incidence was greater among whites than blacks. The increment due to teeth becoming root fragments were similar for both races; however, there were more newly crowned teeth among whites. Newly crowned surfaces were not used as part of the caries increment in logistic regression models to investigate potential risk predictors. For blacks, caries development over the 18-month period was associated with a higher lactobacillus score and more coronal caries at baseline, more previously filled coronal surfaces, and lack of active membership in clubs or other groups. For whites, having no self-reported tooth sensitivity, having a lower socioeconomic index score, taking antihistamine medications at baseline, and having the perception of more problems after the age of 40 than before were all associated with the development of coronal caries.