Prevention of Caries Through Risk Assessment – What Do You Need to Know About CAMBRA?
Introduction
Dental caries can do a lot of damage to your teeth and smile. That is why it is always better to prevent it than to treat it, despite the existence of the numerous effective treatment plans that we have today. In today’s article, we will discuss what you need to know about the prevention of dental caries by risk assessment – evaluating the potential risks and doing everything that you can to get rid of these risks so that your teeth can be caries-free as long as possible. Let us introduce you to the CAMBRA methodology in today’s article!
What do you need to know about dental caries?
Dental caries is the term being used to describe [i]the process of tooth decay which results from the bacteria gather up on the teeth, releasing acid which leads to tooth decay. Dental caries is both the oldest and the most common oral disease among humans. Small children and people with bad eating habits, improper oral hygiene and rare visits at their dentists are at greatest risk for developing dental caries. The presence of dental caries can and will harm your teeth, which is why it is always better to prevent it than to treat it. There are numerous treatment [ii]plans for dental caries, all of which involve its removal and further treatment methods to fix the damages that dental caries has done so far. The most severe cases require the tooth to be completely extracted and possibly replaced with another teeth.
What do you need to know about caries prevention by risk assessment – CAMBRA?
Caries prevention by risk assessment – CAMBRA, has been specially designed [iii]by researchers and leading experts with the hopes of reducing the number of dental caries cases all around the world. The CAMBRA is a special methodology which identifies the cause of dental caries through the assessment of the risk factors individually for each patient. Once the risk factors have been identified, the CAMBRA offers numerous techniques that provide a chance for these risk factors to be reduced [iv]at a minimum by improving the person’s diet, oral hygiene and even performing some minimally invasive procedure where needed.
The CAMBRA assessment method utilized by dentists in the modern world include two different forms of assessment, based on the age of the patient:
- 0 to 5 years
- 5 years to adulthood
When a dentist utilizes the CAMBRA method to identify the risks of caries associated with a particular patient, they need to look at a number of different factors, including:
- The current index of existing caries that the patient has already suffered.
- The patient’s eating habits to identify any specific foods that may be increasing their risk of tooth decay, bacteria buildups, and caries.
- The patient’s existing oral hygiene routine, which will provide an overview of how well the patient is currently taking care of their oral health and whether improvements can be made in this particular area.
- Salivatory flow will be assessed, as well as the pH balance of the patient’s mouth, to help the dentist identify potential risks associated with these factors.
The idea behind these assessments introduced by the CAMBRA technique is to help a dentist identify existing risk factors that are contributing to the development of dental caries in an individual patient. This assessment allows them to evaluate the existing health status of the patient’s mouth and determine their level of risk for future caries. This will, in turn, help the dentist determine what changes the patient needs to implement in their life and what type of treatments need to be administered to the patient at the moment to assist with reducing the patient’s risk of developing further caries in the future.
In addition to providing an effective way to reducing the patient’s risk of developing more dental caries in the future, the dentist will also implement certain treatment protocols to help treat the existing dental caries that the patient is suffering from. There are several techniques that can be used. Proper cleaning of the patient’s teeth can help to remove bacteria buildup that has accumulated on their teeth. This will, in turn, help to reduce damage dealt to the teeth by the bacteria. The CAMBRA method has already helped to reduce the risk of further dental caries and the removal of existing dental caries in thousands, if not millions, of patients, and will continue to do so in the future. This technique plays an important role in the overall oral health of patients throughout the world.
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What you can do to further reduce your risk of dental caries
Apart from ensuring you pay a visit to your dentist on a regular basis, there are other ways you can help to further reduce your risk of developing dental caries. The first method is quite obvious – you need to practice good oral hygiene. Make sure you floss your teeth every day and ensure you brush your teeth twice each day. Use a good mouthwash that can help to get rid of any bacteria that you missed while brushing your teeth.
In addition to practicing good oral hygiene habits, you should also ensure you avoid certain lifestyle factors that can cause tooth decay. Smoking is a particularly bad habit that you need to give up if you are a smoker. Smoking can cause a significant amount of damage to your mouth and even lead to problems with your teeth. If you eat a lot of candy and other food or drinks that contain a significant amount of sugar, then try to limit your consumption of these items. Sugar is one of the main factors that lead to cavities and dental caries. Instead of opting for sugar that is filled with sugar, rather opt for sugar-free options that contain Xylitol instead of refined sugars and syrups.
Drinking coffee and tea can also be beneficial for your tea, but be sure not to overdo it. It is important to note that both coffee and tea should be consumed black with no sugar added and no creamer. This holds the most significant amount of benefits as adding sugar can lead to dental decay. Dairy products, including cow’s milk, yogurt and cheese is also good for your teeth due to the minerals, including calcium, that is found in these products.
Conclusion
The CAMBRA methodology offers us the chance to not only evaluate our own risk towards getting diagnosed with dental caries in the future but also, discovering which are the exact risk factors and offer us a chance to work on removing them permanently. By sharing advice, methods, and techniques, the CAMBRA methodology provides us with a chance to protect ourselves against dental caries, including children and adults as well. This methodology has already effectively reduced the risk and number of dental caries cases all around the world, and even bigger success is expected in the future as well.
References
[i] Featherstone JD, (2008), Dental caries: a dynamic disease process, Australian Dental Journal 53(3):286-91
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18782377
[ii] Lee Y, Diagnosis and prevention strategies for dental caries, Journal of Lifestyle Medicine 3(2): 107–109
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4390741/
[iii] Featherstone JD, Chaffee BW, (2018), The evidence of caries management by risk assessment (CAMBRIA), Advances in Dental Research 29(1):9-14
http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0022034517736500
[iv] Featherstone JD, Young DA, (2013), Caries management by risk assessment, Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology 41(1):e53-63
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24916678
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