First published: 11 August 2019
Abstract
Objectives
Numerous caries risk assessment tools have been proposed
in the literature, with few validated in preschool children especially
those receiving oral rehabilitation under general anaesthesia (GA). Past
caries experience, the best predictor thus far, may not be a reliable
indicator after effective clinical intervention. Hence, this
longitudinal study was aimed to explore the potential role of plaque pH
in predicting future caries incidence after GA among preschool children.
Methods
Oral examination, plaque pH measurements and
questionnaire survey were performed, among pre‐schoolers indicated for
GA, at baseline (n = 92), 6‐month (6M; n = 83), 12‐month (12M; n = 79) and 24‐month (24M; n = 66)
recall visits after GA. Multivariable logistic regression and
receiver‐operating characteristic analysis were performed to evaluate
the predictive value of models with plaque pH and past caries
experience.
Results
Individuals with low resting plaque pH at 6M and 12M were
shown to be at high risk of 1‐year caries incidence at 12M [relative
risk (RR) 1.41, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.09–1.48] and 24M (RR
1.61, 95% CI 1.22–1.73) recall visit, respectively. Moreover, plaque pH
demonstrated a statistically significant predictive value in the 12M and
24M models (12M/24M: 85%/77%) compared with past caries experience,
which was not a significant predictor in both models (both P > 0.05).
Conclusions
Plaque pH may be a promising prognostic and predictive
marker for early identification of high‐risk children undergoing oral
rehabilitation under GA.
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