Effect of Addition of Incipient Carious Lesions in Caries Diagnostic Criteria on Prevalence of Caries in North Indian Preschool Children of East Lucknow Region

AIM AND OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of the addition of incipient carious lesions into the WHO caries index on the prevalence of caries in preschoolers of East Lucknow city. STUDY DESIGN: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted on 530 participants in the age-group of 3–6 years. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The participants were randomly selected from nursery schools of the East Lucknow region. The dental caries status was assessed according to WHO and Ekstrand's criteria. In addition, the prevalence of cavitated and incipient carious lesions was also evaluated. The data were then subjected to statistical analysis. STATISTICS: Chi-square test and Wilcoxon signed-rank test were performed to carry out statistical analysis. p value < 0.005 was taken as statistically significant. RESULTS: Out of 530 participants examined, caries prevalence by WHO and Ekstrand's criteria was (36.8%) and (57.4%), respectively. The mean dmft values according to WHO criteria and Ekstrand's criteria were 1.16 and 1.60, respectively. The prevalence of cavitated carious lesions was higher (66.27%) when compared with that of incipient carious lesions (33.73%). CONCLUSION: A significant number of incipient carious lesions observed in the present study is an indication to include these lesions in caries diagnostic criteria. This would help in determining the exact prevalence of caries and aid in implementing proper preventive protocols for remineralization of incipient carious lesions. HOW TO CITE THIS ARTICLE: Asad F, Singh N, Rathore M, et al. Effect of Addition of Incipient Carious Lesions in Caries Diagnostic Criteria on Prevalence of Caries in North Indian Preschool Children of East Lucknow Region. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2021;14(5):644–647.