36 Dimensions OF DENTAL HYGIENE dimensionsofdentalhygiene.

com JUNE 2014

Managing
CARIESRISK
in ADULTS
By Donald L. Chi, DDS, PhD, and Christopher Shyue, BS, BA
Adults in the United States are retaining
their teeth longer than previous generations
mainly due to improvements in oral healthrelated
behaviors. These include improved diet
(eg, reduced intake of fermentable carbohydrates); use of
oral hygiene products, such as fluoride toothpastes and
other topical fluoride products; and improved access to dental
care.
Retaining healthy teeth helps individuals maintain chewing
function, esthetic appearance, and quality of life. While these are
positive outcomes associated with maintaining the natural dentition,
long-term tooth retention is also associated with increased
risk of root caries,1 which disproportionately affects middle-aged
and older adults. Factors such as gingival recession, medication
use, and xerostomia increase the risk of developing root caries.
To address this important public health concern, oral health professionals
must be aware of clinical strategies that can be used
to prevent and appropriately manage root caries in adults.
Root caries is a dynamic disease process in which intraoral
bacteria metabolize carbohydrates to create an acidic environment
that leads to acid-mediated dissolution of tooth cementum
and the underlying dentin. The process is initiated at the
cementoenamel junction or on root surfaces, typically following
apical recession of the gingival margin. Previous studies
indicate increased risk for root caries among individuals with
exposed root surfaces, gingival attachment loss, and deep pocket
probing depths.2,3 Root caries can also develop subgingivally without
gingival recession.
The bacterial organisms implicated in root caries include
Streptococcus mutans, lactobacilli, and some species of
Actinomyces (Figure 1, page 38).4 A recent study suggests that
Lactobacillus casei (Figure 2, page 38), L. paracasei, L. rhamnosus,
and Pseudoramibacter alactolyticus are also associated with root
caries in older adults.5 These findings suggest that the microbiology
of root caries differs from coronal caries.
Historically, the decayed and filled surfaces (DFS) index was
used to measure root caries. In 1980, the root caries index (RCI)
was introduced to address limitations associated with the DFS
index, which does not account for the number of tooth surfaces
at risk for caries.6 Despite noted limitations associated with the
RCI, mainly in terms of implementing standardized methods to
identify gingival recession, most root caries studies adopt this
index. The RCI is expressed as a percentage and is calculated
using a formula (Figure 3, page 40).
ORAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS MUST KEEP UP-TO-DATE ON
EFFECTIVE STRATEGIES
TO PREVENT AND MANAGE ROOT CARIES IN OLDER ADULTS.
DONALD L. CHI, DDS, PhD, is an assistant professor of oral health sciences at the University of Washington (UW)
School of Dentistry in Seattle. He also holds adjunct appointments in the UW School of Dentistrys Department of Pediatric
Dentistry, the UW School of Public Healths Department of Health Services, and the UW School of Medicines Department
of Pediatrics. Chi is board certified both in pediatric dentistry and dental public health. His research is funded by the
National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research and the William T. Grant Foundation, and focuses on the social and
behavioral determinants of oral health in Medicaid-enrolled children and adolescents. Chi teaches graduate-level
coursework in public health and spends 1 day per week treating children and adolescents in clinic.
CHRISTOPHER SHYUE, BS, BA, is a research assistant in the UW School of Dentistrys Department of Oral Health Sciences.
38 Dimensions OF DENTAL HYGIENE [Link] JUNE 2014
ROOT CARIES PREVALENCE
AND INCIDENCE
According to data from the third National
Health and Nutrition Examination Survey
1999 to 2004, the prevalence of root caries
among dentate adults between the ages of 50
and 64 was 30.8%, compared to 10.4%
among adults ages 20 to 34.7 While the overall
root caries experience among dentate adults
age 65 and older decreased to 36% in 1999
to 2004, from 46% in 1988 to 1994, the high
prevalence of root caries among middle-aged
and older adults in the US is a major public
health problem.7
In a survey conducted by Beck et al1, the
authors found that among 520 noninstitutionalized,
dentate adults age 65 and older living
in Iowa, 63% had root caries. About 25% of
these individuals had untreated root caries,
and the percentage of subjects with untreated
root lesions increased with age.1 These findings
are similar to those presented in another
study involving community-dwelling adults
age 70 and older in six New England states.8
In a more recent study of urban communitydwelling
adults age 65 and older who regularly
accessed professional dental care, 76%
had root caries.9 In contrast, my colleagues
and I10 reported a root caries prevalence of
19.6% among adults age 45 and older
recruited from dental practices affiliated with
a practice-based research network.
Incidence is a measure of new disease that
develops over a specific time period. Hand et
al11 reported that root caries occurred at an
annualized rate of 1.8 surfaces per 100 susceptible
surfaces in a population of dentate
Iowans age 65 and older. The incidence of
root caries increased proportionately to age,
despite the presence of fewer teeth among
older adults.11 The annualized root caries incidence
was 0.15 surfaces per person among
working adults and their spouses (between the
ages of 20 and 65) residing in fluoride-deficient
communities on Long Island, New York.12
Most root caries studies report that the rate of
recurrent root caries is 4% to 10%, with the
majority of root caries occurring as primary
lesions.1,8,11,13 These findings underscore the
importance of identifying the risk factors for
root caries and implementing disease prevention
and management strategies aimed at
modifying these risk factors.
RISK FACTORS
Studies indicate the three most common risk
factors for root caries in adults are increased
gingival recession, exposed roots, and age.
However, root caries is a complex multifactorial
disease. As such, a number of additional
demographic, intraoral, and behavioral factors
may increase an individuals risk for developing
root caries. Some of these factors are
immutable, whereas others are modifiable.
Despite perceptions that men are at
greater risk for root caries than women,
research on the topic is inconsistent. Five studies1,9,13
15 report that root caries affects a higher
proportion of men than women, and three
studies8,10,11 indicate no significant relationship.
There are two possible explanations for these
inconsistencies: gender is a proxy for oral
health behaviors that may be similar or different
for men and women, depending on the
underlying characteristics of the study population,
or other factors, such as financial hardship
and insurance status, may modify the
effects of gender on root caries risk.16 As with
gender, there are inconsistencies in the literature
regarding the relationship between
race/ethnicity and root caries.3,13 It is consistently
found in the literature, however, that
blacks are more likely to have untreated root
caries than whites.3,7,14
Gingival recession and exposed root surfaces
are the main intraoral risk factors for root
caries. Self-reported xerostomia is another risk
factor.10 Chronic medication use and radiation
therapy to salivary glands are common causes
of xerostomia. There are two potential mechanisms
linking xerostomia and root caries:
reduced intraoral buffering capacity from lowered
salivary flow or changes in the composition
of saliva, or the use of compensatory
behaviors, including intake of sugary beverages
or candies, to alleviate symptoms associated
with xerostomia. Another intraoral risk
factor is the use of a partial denture,3 which is
associated with plaque accumulation and gingival
recession on abutment teeth.
Studies indicate that poor oral hygiene and
resultant plaque accumulation, frequent snacking
and intake of sugary foods and beverages,
and sporadic dental care (a measure of poor
access to preventive dental care services) are
associated with increased risk for root caries in
adults.8,10,13,17 Another behavioral risk factor is
tobacco use.13,18 Smoking is associated with
periodontal diseases (and gingival recession),
and chewing tobacco contains fermentable
carbohydrates.
PREVENTION
The high prevalence and incidence of root
caries in middle-aged and older adults reinforce
the importance of strategies to prevent
root caries. At the patient level, dental health
professionals must emphasize optimal oral
health behaviors. All patients should be
encouraged to reduce their intake of simple
sugars and fermentable carbohydrates. In addition,
the importance of twice-daily toothbrushing
with fluoride dentifrice and regular dental
visits should be encouraged. High-risk patients
may benefit from twice-daily toothbrushing
with high-fluoride (eg, 5,000 ppm) prescription
toothpastes.19 High-risk patients
may also benefit from annual application of
38% diammine silver fluoridea clear liquid
Root Caries
FIGURE 1. Actinomyces is a bacteria species implicated
in root caries.
FIGURE 2. Lactobacillus casei is a bacteria
involved in the development of root caries.
FIGURE 1. D. PHILLIPS/SCIENCE PHOTO; FIGURE 2. POWER AND SYRED/SCIENCE PHOTO
40 Dimensions OF DENTAL HYGIENE [Link] JUNE 2014
medicament that is not currently available in
the US.20 Investigators are working on
obtaining proper US Food and Drug
Administration approvals to bring diammine
silver fluoride to the US for clinical use. Three
monthly applications of 22,500 ppm sodium
fluoride varnish is another preventive strategy
that may be appropriate for high-risk
patients.21 In addition, xylitol lozenges (1 g
doses taken five times a day for a total daily
intake of 5 g), and three monthly applications
of chlorhexidine-thymol varnish and
40% chlorhexidine varnish have been shown
to prevent root caries.2224 At this time, neither
chlorhexidine thymol nor chlorhexidine
varnish is available in the US. Chlorhexidine
mouthrinses (0.12%) may also help to prevent
root caries by reducing the number of
intraoral bacteria. On a population level,
community water fluoridation also helps to
prevent root caries in adults.
CLINICAL MANAGEMENT
Research supports the alternative restorative
technique, which was recently renamed the
interim restorative technique (IRT). This
method does not require local anesthesia,
involves hand instrumentation for caries
excavation, and restores the lesion with
chemically cured glass ionomer.25 Such minimally
invasive approaches are patient-centered,
cost-effective, and can easily be
implemented in most settingsincluding traditional
dental offices, community dental
health centers, nursing homes, group homes,
and institutions.
Oral health professionals should adopt a
sensible treatment planning approach. Caries
root lesions should be restored only when
required, taking into consideration the
patients age, health status, and symptoms
associated with root caries. Before teeth are
restored, root caries must be controlled using
the preventive approaches previously mentioned.
Aggressive chemo therapeutic management
of root caries may reduce the need
for invasive restorations.26
CONCLUSION
Root caries is a serious public health concern
that requires the attention of oral health professionals.
The first step in addressing root
caries is to identify patients and populations
at greatest risk. The main risk factors for root
caries are older age, gingival recession, and
exposed root surfaces. Other important risk
factors include medication- or radiationinduced
xerostomia and oral health behaviors,
such as poor oral hygiene, frequent
snacking and intake of sugary foods and beverages,
infrequent visits to the dentist, and
tobacco use.
Patient-level preventive strategies must
address behavioral risk factors and include
various chemotherapeutic approaches, such
as prescription fluoride toothpastes,
diammine silver fluoride, xylitol lozenges, and
chlorhexidine. A population-level preventive
approach is promotion of community water
fluoridation. When dental restorations are
necessary, root caries should be restored
using minimally invasive techniques, such as
IRT. A comprehensive patient-centered
approach that focuses on risk factor identification,
prevention, and minimal intervention
will help to reduce root caries and improve
the oral health of vulnerable adults.
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Root Caries
Number of root surfaces with root lesions
x 100
Number of surfaces with gingival recession
FIGURE 3. Formula for calculating root caries index percentages