Three-year Root Caries Incidence and Risk Modeling in Older Adults in North Carolina |
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Authors: | Herenia P Lawrence DDS MS PhD ; Ronald J Hunt DDS MS ; James D Beck PhD |
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Institution: | Drs. Lawrence, Hunt, and Beck are all with the Department of Dental Ecology, University of North Carolina School of Dentistry, CB #7450, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7450. |
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Abstract: | Objectives : The purposes of this study were to describe the incidence of root caries and to identify its risk factors in a representative sample of older adults. Methods : Root caries incidence was estimated and multivariate risk assessment models were developed to identify predictors for root caries in a three-year follow-up study of 234 black and 218 white noninstitutionalized adults aged 65 and older residing in North Carolina. Results : During the observation period, 29 percent of blacks developed root caries, compared to 39 percent of whites (P<.05). The mean net DFS increment per person was 0.55±0.13 root surfaces for blacks vs 0.80±0.21 for whites (P>.32). Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that blacks wearing a partial denture, having some root fragments, having an average gingival recession ≥2 mm, and being free of P. intermedia were at greater risk for developing new root caries. The model for whites showed that retired people with their most severe gingival recession ≥4 mm, an average probing pocket depth ≥2 mm, and taking antihistamines were more likely to develop new lesions. Conclusions : These findings suggest that older blacks had less risk of root caries than whites, and in both groups indicators of poor periodontal status increased the risk of root caries. |
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Keywords: | root caries epidemiology follow-up studies aged risk factors logistic models blacks whites |
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