Early dental caries detection as a part of oral health maintenance in young children

Abstract

There is an ever-growing need to manage the results of dental caries in young children. Other articles in this supplement discuss age-specific recommendations regarding caries management in children. This article will introduce the idea of using technology to assess caries risk in children and also will identify alternative technologies that could be used to detect caries lesions as early as possible. It is hoped that by learning about some of the new technologies that can be used in caring for children's dental needs, a new cadre of general practitioners will be willing to take on a portion of the important role of caring for our children.