Vroegdiagnostiek van cariës

Early detection of carious lesions enables the dental p rofessional to interfere in caries development. Visual inspection in combination with bitewing radiographs p erformed better than new quantitative methods in detecting early non-cavitated carious lesions. Once a lesion has been detected assessment of activity (diagnosis) is important in order to distinguish between an active process and a scar developed in the past. The ‘clinical gaze’, an intellectual interpretation of the dental condition, whereby the caries experience of the recent past is used as an important caries p redictor, is better able to p roduce a correct estimate of the caries risk than p rediction models based on risk factors. A correct diagnosis of lesion activity in combination with the caries risk of the patient gives us a tool to p redict caries development in the future. Subsequently caries activity can be influenced by addressing the factors which cause caries (causal therapy).