THE IMPORTANCE OF A DETAILED CLINICAL EXAMINATION OF CARIOUS LESIONS

¹ Forsyth Dental Infirmary for Children, Boston, Mass.

1. An examination of the caries frequency in 32 children has been made to determine (1) to what extent the clinical findings vary when different diagnostic procedures are employed, and (2) what type of lesions are most liable to be overlooked. 2. It was found that nearly all carious cavities and pit and fissure lesions could be disclosed by mirror and explorer without additional diagnostic aids, except for smaller approximal cavities, discovered by radiograph. 3. In addition, another 20 per cent of the total number of lesions would have been overlooked if the teeth had not been cleaned and dried. Those were initial stages of smooth-surface lesions. The term "pre-caries" has been suggested for the first manifestations of these lesions, and their practical and theoretical importance has been emphasized.

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				A.I. Ismail Visual and Visuo-tactile Detection of Dental Caries J. Dent. Res., July 1, 2004; 83(suppl_1): C56 - C66. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]