title: Clinician's ability to identify caries risk subjects.
abstract: The clinician's ability to identify caries risk children without saliva tests was studied in five health care centers. 77 examiners predicted, after the annual check-up and treatment, whether, during the following 12 months, the child would develop new dentinal caries lesions to be filled. 7917 children aged 5-16 yr were included. Only information routinely available at clinical examinations was used. In general, the overall sensitivity was 44% and specificity 90%. Some clinicians were able to identify the caries risk children with high sensitivity and specificity figures.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Dentistry, University of Turku, Finland.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Alanen
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hurskainen
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Isokangas
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Pietilä
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Levänen
authors.forename: U M
authors.initials: UM
authors.lastname: Saarni
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tiekso
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004245:DMF Index; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D005387:Finland; D006801:Humans; D012306:Risk; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity