title: Caries risk management: effect on caries incidence in a sample of Lebanese preschool children.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This clinical prospective study describes how caries preventive measures applied according to caries risk affect new caries incidence in a group of preschoolers, as compared to a group where standardized caries prevention is applied, regardless of risk.
  
  
  METHODS
  Healthy children, aged four years or less, recruited at the Faculté de Médecine Dentaire, Université Saint-Joseph, Beirut, Lebanon were assigned, after parental consent, to an experimental or a control group. Caries risk was determined based on a parental questionnaire, salivary levels of Steptococcus mutans (Sm) and Lactobacillus (Lb), salivary buffer capacity, plaque levels and carious lesions prevalence, then subjects were classified into four caries risk categories. In the experimental group, preventive measures designed for each risk category were applied periodically, whereas control subjects received only standardized preventive measures at regular intervals. All subjects were reevaluated for Sm, Lb, salivary buffer capacity, plaque and new carious lesions after 24 months.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Statistically significant reductions in salivary Sm (p=0.001) and Lb (p=0.003) levels, plaque scores (p=0) and caries incidence (p=0.003) were observed in the experimental group. In the control group, no significant differences were observed between initial and final Sm (p=0.18) and Lb (p=0.109) levels or plaque scores (p=0.255), and caries incidence was not significantly reduced (p=0.584).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The present study's results suggest that caries preventive measures applied according to caries risk may reduce caries risk factors and new caries incidence in preschool-aged children. These findings deserve further investigation to benefit early childhood caries prevention on a larger scale.
authors: Dpt Pediatric and Community Dentistry, Fac. Médecine dentaire, Univ. Saint-Joseph, Beirut, Lebanon.
authors: N R
authors: NR
authors: Chedid
authors: D
authors: D
authors: Bourgeois
authors: H
authors: H
authors: Kaloustian
authors: C
authors: C
authors: Pilipili
authors: N Z
authors: NZ
authors: Baba
mesh_terms: D000891:Anti-Infective Agents, Local / Q000627:therapeutic use; D058491:Bacterial Load; D002021:Buffers; D002327:Cariostatic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002710:Chlorhexidine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004245:DMF Index; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000517:prevention & control*; D003733:Dental Caries Susceptibility; D003774:Dental Plaque Index; D004032:Diet; D005260:Female; D005459:Fluorides / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005460:Fluorides, Topical / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007778:Lactobacillus / Q000302:isolation & purification; D007861:Lebanon; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012463:Saliva / Q000382:microbiology; D013295:Streptococcus mutans / Q000302:isolation & purification; D014099:Toothbrushing
chemical_list: D000891:Anti-Infective Agents, Local; D002021:Buffers; D002327:Cariostatic Agents; D005460:Fluorides, Topical; D005459:Fluorides; D002710:Chlorhexidine