DPBRN Longitudinal Study of Questionable Occlusal Caries Lesions

Longitudinal Study of Questionable Occlusal Caries Lesions

The purpose of this study will allow us to observe and follow the subjects' treatment from DPBRN Prevalence of Questionable Occlusal Caries Lesions Study over a 24 month period.

There have been very few studies regarding questionable lesions, virtually no clinical evaluations of the progression of questionable lesions over time, and no studies depicting the prevalence of these lesions. Since carious lesions have the ability to arrest and possibly reverse, determining how often these lesions are being seen in practice and learning more about their characteristics and patient risk assessment are important steps in order to manage these lesions without unnecessary surgical intervention.

Inclusion Criteria:

• patients needed to have at least one permanent tooth with a questionable lesion. This means that subjects were at least 6 years old because that is when the permanent first molar typically erupts.

Exclusion Criteria:

• patients under 6 years old
• patients 6 years old and older who do not have a questionable lesion