Organization for Caries Research-European Federation of Conservative Dentistry Consensus Report on Clinical Recommendations for Caries Diagnosis: Paper II: Caries Lesion Activity and Progression Assessment

Klaus W. Neuhaus, Jan Kühnisch, Avijit Banerjee, Stefania Martignon, David Ricketts, Falk Schwendicke, Monique H. van der Veen, Sophie Doméjean, Margherita Fontana, Adrian Lussi, Anahita Jablonski-Momeni, Fausto Medeiros Mendes, Gail Douglas, Gottfried Schmalz, Guglielmo Campus, Johan Aps, Keith Horner, Niek Opdam, Marie Charlotte Huysmans, Christian H. Splieth

Research output: Contribution to JournalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: This consensus paper provides recommendations for oral health professionals on why and how to assess caries activity and progression with special respect to the site of a lesion. METHODS: An expert panel was nominated by the executive councils of the European Organization for Caries Research (ORCA) and the European Federation of Conservative Dentistry (EFCD). The steering committee built three working groups that were asked to provide recommendations on (1) caries detection and diagnostic methods, (2) caries activity and progression assessment, and (3) obtain individualized caries diagnoses. The experts of work group 2 phrased and agreed on provisional general and specific recommendations on caries lesion activity and progression, based on a review of the current literature. These recommendations were then discussed and refined in a consensus workshop followed by an anonymous Delphi survey to determine the agreement on each recommendation. RESULTS: The expert panel agreed on general (n = 7) and specific recommendations (n = 6). The specific recommendations cover coronal caries on pits and fissures, smooth surfaces, proximal surfaces, as well as root caries and secondary caries/caries adjacent to restorations and sealants. 3/13 recommendations yielded perfect agreement. CONCLUSION: The most suitable method for lesion activity assessment is the visual-tactile method. No single clinical characteristic is indicative of lesion activity; instead, lesion activity assessment is based on assessing and weighing several clinical signs. The recall intervals for visual and radiographic examination need to be adjusted to the presence of active caries lesions and recent caries progression rates. Modifications should be based on individual patient characteristics.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)511-520
Number of pages10
JournalCaries Research
Volume58
Issue number5
Early online date29 Apr 2024
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Oct 2024

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 The Author(s). Published by S. Karger AG, Basel.

Keywords

  • Activity
  • Caries
  • Consensus
  • Diagnosis
  • Progression

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