Dental Health Imaging, Jobs, Education & Resources

ALBANY, Ore., USA: In collaboration with CariFree, a caries research company, a New York-based dentist has developed a screening device called CariScreen that allows dental practitioners to measure levels of cavity-causing bacteria in patients' mouths.

It is the only in-office, chair-side caries-susceptibility screening test on the market and is hoped to halt disease rates.

Although dental caries is one of the most common oral diseases associated with serious systemic diseases such as heart disease, there has been no way to properly screen patients for their risk of developing tooth decay, explained Dr. Michael Krochak, who is a general, cosmetic, and implant dentist, and an expert in the treatment of dental fear.

Krochak and his team at CariFree have developed a test that detects carious bacteria in seconds and allows practitioners to assess patients' risk of disease very rapidly.

"With a simple swab of a patient's lower front teeth, we can determine his or her individual risk of tooth decay and counsel the patient appropriately," said dental hygienist Martha Arias, who works with Krochak.

In addition, dentists can tell their patients what the statistical likelihood is of developing new decay in the next year.

"For decades, the only approach to managing dental caries has been to work backwards by drilling out decayed areas of the tooth and patching the cavity.

The CariScreen product line, however, helps dentists to prevent disease and maintain patient health," Krochak said.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, dental caries is the most common chronic disease in children aged 6 to 11 and adolescents aged 12 to 19 in the U.S.

It also affects adults, with 9 out of 10 over the age of 20 having some degree of tooth/root decay.

The World Health Organization states that 60 to 90 percent of schoolchildren and nearly 100 percent of adults worldwide have cavities.