Description

This book emphasizes the importance of understanding caries risk assessment and management in adolescents, highlighting that caries remains a multifactorial, preventable disease, influenced by diet, saliva, oral microbiota, and socio-behavioral factors. It reviews various caries risk assessment tools and AAPD protocols, alongside caries activity tests. The work also details about the diverse diagnostic aids, underlining their role in early detection. Management approaches include preventive strategies and minimally invasive restorative techniques when necessary. It underscores individualized, evidence-based, patient-centered care tailored to adolescent needs, while stressing the significance of school-based programs and parental involvement in promoting oral health. Ultimately, it concludes that comprehensive caries risk assessment, coupled with preventive and therapeutic interventions, is pivotal in reducing caries burden among adolescents.