Impact of detection criteria on coronal and root caries estimates in adults with and without type 2 diabetes mellitus.

OBJECTIVE: To compare caries prevalence and extent in adults with or without diabetes mellitus (DM) according to different caries detection criteria (WHO, ICDAS, and Nyvad). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out including 122 individuals, 44 without DM and 78 with type 2 DM. Trained and calibrated examiners performed a visual-tactile inspection to record coronal and root caries lesions (weighted kappa > 0.7). Caries prevalence and extent were calculated according to the WHO (only cavitated lesions, missing and filled surfaces), ICDAS (all non-cavitated and cavitated lesions, missing and filled surfaces), and Nyvad (only active lesions, non-cavitated and cavitated). For root caries, lesions were classified as active or inactive. RESULTS: A significantly higher overall caries experience (DMF-S) was observed among patients with DM when the WHO (RR = 1.37; 95% CI = 1.09-1.71) and the ICDAS (RR = 1.32; 95% CI = 1.07-1.62) criteria were adopted. No difference between groups was found when the Nyvad criterion was used, although a low study power was observed in this comparison. Estimates for root caries showed a higher prevalence (PR = 2.65; 95% CI = 1.05-6.70) and risk (RR = 6.02, 95% CI = 1.81-20.00) of total D-S among diabetic patients. CONCLUSIONS: DM can predispose individuals to a higher number of root caries lesions, independently of their past caries experience. Missing teeth can overestimate caries extent in individuals with DM. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Individuals with DM should be monitored for the prevention and control of root caries. It is recommended to splitting missing teeth from the caries estimates in studies involving adults, particularly diabetic ones.