Predicting cavities

Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients,  June, 2005  by Jule Klotter

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Researchers at the University of Southern California School of Dentistry have developed a saliva test that can predict how many cavities a child will get and which teeth are most likely to be affected. The Caries Assessment and Risk Evaluation (CARE) test focuses on relative proportions of various sugar chains (oligosaccharides) found in the saliva and on the surface of teeth. Some of these sugar chains promote tooth decay by helping bacteria adhere to the tooth while other sugar chains actually repel cavity-causing bacteria. The researchers say that the saliva's sugar chain makeup is determined by genetics and does not change. By using the saliva test, USC researchers have been "able to predict a child's future cavity history to plus or minus one cavity with greater than 98% confidence." The test is less accurate in children with "exceptionally weak or strong oral hygiene and nutritional habits." One version of the test identifies specific teeth that are cavity-prone. The researchers hope that such a test will let dentists use preventive treatments, such as tooth sealants, more judiciously and for less cost.

USC Dental Researchers Develop First Test for Predicting Cavities in Children (from a University of Southern California press release) 9 March 2005 www.sciencdaily.com/releases/2005/02/050223151148.htm

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