Pandemic-adapted Caries Care Multicentre Single-group Interventional Study

CariesCare International Adapted for the Pandemic in Children: Caries OUT Multicentre Single-group Interventional Study

The current understanding of dental caries has not been completely transferred into the clinical practice to control caries lesion progression (severity / activity) and the individual risk of caries. This situation led to the development of the CariesCare International CCI Caries Management System (2018), derived from ICCMS™- International Caries Classification and Management System (2012) and the ICDAS - International Caries Detection and Assessment System (2002) in a consensus among more than 45 cariologists, epidemiologists, public health professionals, researchers and cliniciansfrom all over the world. The consensus aimed to guide dentists and dental teams in clinical practice, facilitating the control of the caries process and the maintenance of oral health in their patients.

The general lack of implementation of an updated management of dental caries is evident in Colombia, in the survey of 1094 clinicians, teachers and students, failures were reported to adopt related behaviours, motivation barriers (remuneration), opportunity (in terms of relevance, physical/infrastructure resources, time) and training. As an additional barrier, the Colombian Chapter of the Alliance for a Cavity-Free Future (ACFF), evidences the absence of a facilitating Oral Health Record (OHR), this situation lead to stablish a new Alliance between the Ministry of Health and Social Protection (MSPS) and the AFLC to develop an inter-institutional consensus at the national level, of a clinical history for diagnosis and management of lesions and caries risk. Finally, 55 institutions participated in this consensus, and we have just finished a pilot test of the forms to submit a proposal for national standardization from the MSPS.

The aim of this multicentre case series is to assess after 3, 6 and 12 months in children oral health outcomes, caregivers' satisfaction and in dentists' process outcomes, after the implementation of the CCI system adapted for the COVID-19 era -non-aerosol generating procedures. Oral health outcomes will be evaluated in terms of:

• Effectiveness of CCI to control bacterial plaque, caries progression and caries risk, and to achieve behavioural change in oral health in children.
• Acceptance of CCI caries management adapted for COVID-19 through Treatment Evaluation Interventory in dentists, and in children/parents through satisfaction questionnaire.
• Costs of CCI adapted for caries management, in economic terms, number and appointment time.

This study has been planned to be developed in 21 centres: 5 Colombian, 14 international dental schools, 1 Colombian health care provider and a demonstrative centre of the ACFF. Each center will implement the CCI management adapted for COVID-19 era in a total of 20 3 to 5- and 6 to 8-year-old children. Children's caries care can be delivered at dental schools' clinics and private practice. Follow-up assessments will be conducted at 3, 6 and 12 months.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Children 3 to 5 and 6 to 8 years of age.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Family plans to move during the study time
• Oral-health related systemic conditions or physical/mental disabilities
• Presence of orthodontic/orthopaedic appliances
• Presence of MIH in first permanent molars with indication of extraction
• Children attending for a dental emergency/urgency