Assessing Dental Caries Risk and Causative Factors
About This Event
This is part 10 of a 10-part series entitled Caries Process, Prevention and Management. This course provides dental team members with information on identifying caries-causing factors and assessing a patient’s risk for developing dental caries. Caries Process, Prevention and Management consists of a series of ten continuing education courses that may be taken individually or as a complete series. This 2025 newly updated series was first developed in conjunction with the American Dental Education Association in 2008 and has now been comprehensively revised by authors who are members of the board of directors of the American Academy of Cariology (AAC) to reflect the current knowledge and best practices and quality depth of knowledge on the caries process, prevention, and management. Procter & Gamble is delighted to provide this resource enabling high quality educational experiences and an up-to-date understanding of both the science and its relevance to all clinicians in practice and we thank the authors for their contributions.
Learning Objectives
- Define the terms risk, risk factor, and risk assessment in the context of caries prevention and management.
- Identify biological, environmental, sociocultural, and economic factors that increase caries risk.
- Analyze patient's medical and dental history to identify clues relevant to caries risk.
- Apply a structured caries risk assessment protocol in clinical practice.
- Conduct a caries risk assessment survey.
- Choose individualized intervention strategies based on a risk-assessment survey.
- Recognize and address the special considerations of high-risk populations, such as older adults or individuals with xerostomia (dry mouth).
- Describe the Caries Management by Risk Assessment (CAMBRA) system.