title: Development of a pediatric cariogenicity index.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study was designed to develop food and liquid cariogenicity indices and to preliminarily test their utility using dietary data from a study of children with and without severe early childhood caries (S-ECC), defined as 3 + smooth surface carious lesions, including at least one pulpally involved tooth.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data were collected in a diverse cohort of low-income preschool-aged children made up of 454 children with S-ECC and 429 caries-free children who presented for care at pediatric dental clinics in Washington, DC, Columbus, OH, and Cincinnati, OH. The cariogenicity indices were used to score dietary data from a Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) and a 24-hour recall (24HR).
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were no statistically significant differences in mean food cariogenicity scores between groups. The liquid cariogenicity score was higher in the S-ECC group as compared with caries-free children (24HR: 5.28 versus 4.66, respectively, P < 0.001; FFQ: 5.03 versus 4.38, P < 0.001). The food cariogenicity score did not discriminate between those with and without S-ECC, while the liquid cariogenicity score did differentiate between the two groups (24HR: OR: 1.2; 95 percent CI: 1.1, 1.3; FFQ: 1.7; 95 percent CI 1.4, 2.0). The liquid cariogenicity score was also associated with number of carious lesions.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The liquid cariogenicity index has potential in research and clinical settings to provide a liquid cariogenicity score and help quickly identify modifiable risk factors within a child's diet. Further research is needed to test its utility in clinical and public health settings.
authors.affiliation: Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, Tufts University, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: E Whitney
authors.initials: EW
authors.lastname: Evans
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hayes
authors.forename: Carole A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Palmer
authors.forename: Odilia I
authors.initials: OI
authors.lastname: Bermudez
authors.forename: Elena N
authors.initials: EN
authors.lastname: Naumova
authors.forename: Steven A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Cohen
authors.forename: Aviva
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Must
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004219:District of Columbia; D006801:Humans; D009820:Ohio
keywords: caries; cariogenic diet; nutrition; pediatric dentistry