ABSTRACT Dental caries is a commonly progressive disease that proceeds through various degrees of severity that a dentist can detect. The aims of the in vivo study were to assess the accuracy of the individual model (near-infrared light transillumination [NILT] device, visual and radiographic examinations) in detecting occlusal caries, and to evaluate the performance of visual and NILT device combination for occlusal caries detection in deciding the treatment options. Fifty-two non-cavitated occlusal surfaces from 16 patients were assessed with three different diagnostic devices in random order. Identified lesions were prepared and validated. Logistic regression analysis was performed for each method. The sensitivity and specificity values for each method and the combined models were statistically measured using RStudio version 0.97.551. At the enamel level, visual detection was the most sensitive method (0.88), while NILT was the most specific (0.93). NILT scored the highest for sensitivity (0.93) at the dentine level and visual detection scored the highest for specificity (0.88). Visual detection + NILT model was significantly better (p = 0.04) compared to visual detection or NILT alone (df = 1). The visual-NILT combination is a superior model in detecting occlusal caries on permanent teeth. The model provided surplus value in caries detection hence improving the treatment decision-making in occlusal surfaces.
Dental Caries Activity Tests

This study aimed to investigate the effect of repeated oral health education on the oral health of preschool children. This study classified the control group of children of 5~6 years of age where the oral health education was conducted one time, and the experiment group where the oral health education was conducted 4 times. The oral health conditions of each group and their risk of developing dental caries were also assessed. No significant difference was observed in the participants in terms of general characteristics, oral health conditions, risk of developing dental caries, and oral health behavior after oral health education. The two groups did not show a significant difference (p<0.001) in dental plaque index before and after oral health education, and showed a significant difference (p<0.001) according to the number of education sessions. Before oral health education, the participants in both groups were brushing their teeth incorrectly. However, after the third session, 56.7% of the participants in the experimental group and 9.4% in the control group used the correct method of tooth brushing. A significant difference was observed between the two groups (p<0.05). In addition, when the tooth-brushing time was compared, the two groups showed a significant difference (p<0.001), and a significant difference was observed in terms of the number of education sessions (p<0.05). In summary, repeated oral health education had significant influences on the dental plaque index, tooth-brushing method, brushing occlusal surfaces, and tooth-brushing time. Therefore, when oral health education is carried out, repeated oral health education in children is more effective than one-time oral health education as reflected in the changes in dental plaque index and oral health behavior. Moreover, oral health education is considered effective in changing the oral health behavior of children when conducted at least 3 times.
Child ; Child, Preschool* ; Dental Caries ; Dental Caries Activity Tests ; Dental Plaque Index ; Education* ; Humans ; Methods ; Oral Health* ; Tooth ; Toothbrushing

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prediction validity of the caries activity test with a sulfisomidine mixture (SAHS test). METHODS: This longitudinal follow-up study was conducted for 3 years. The subjects were 155 elementary schoolchildren. Oral examination was performed by examining each tooth surface of the subjects. The number of teeth with new caries lesions was calculated by comparing between the baseline data of the initial oral examination and the results of the second oral examination performed after 3 years. The Dentocult SM test was used as the reference in the analysis of the caries prediction validity of the SAHS test. The items of the validity test for carries prediction were as follows: sensitivity, specificity, predictive value, and likelihood ratio. RESULTS: The correlation between new caries lesions and the SAHS test scores was greater than that between new caries lesions and the Dentocult SM test scores. The receiver-operating analysis revealed that the area under the curve of the SAHS test was higher than that of the Dentocult SM test. The caries prediction validity of the SAHS test (grade 12) was as follows: sensitivity, 0.71-0.70; specificity, 0.60-0.58; positive predictive value, 0.79-0.78; negative predictive value, 0.49 (screening criterion 5). The SAHS test scores were similar to or higher than the scores in the items of the Dentocult SM test. CONCLUSIONS: The SAHS test is considered useful for clinical applications.
Child ; Dental Caries ; Dental Caries Activity Tests ; Diagnosis, Oral ; Follow-Up Studies* ; Humans ; ROC Curve ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Sulfisomidine* ; Tooth