Amanda Davis

Dental Hygiene II

Article #3: Root Caries

Bowen, D.M. (2011). Prevention of root caries. The Journal of Dental Hygiene, 85(2), 78-82.

Would you ever think that fluoride could be used to prevent root caries? No? Me either.

I knew that you could use fluoride to prevent coronal caries, but I was not expecting it to work

for root caries. The researchers conducted a study of four groups to see what worked best to

prevent root caries. These findings found that the active ingredients in the four methods (water,

chlorhexidine varnish, sodium fluoride varnish, and silver diamine fluoride solution along with

oral hygiene instructions) used worked better than oral hygiene instructions alone. The silver

diamine fluoride solution (SDF) worked the best, but it is currently not available in the United

States of America. Applications of fluoride varnish given four times a year for elderly patients is

highly recommended if they have a high risk for caries. Dentin is more susceptible to caries and

fluoride treatments could help it mineralize again, if already decayed. A study found that using

toothpaste and a professional-grade fluoride gel could provide the extra protection needed to

combat root caries. Volunteers in another study wore an appliance in their mouth which

contained root dentin slabs treated with a fluoride. The results of this study found that this

appliance helped increase the fluoride concentration in biofilm and reduced root dentin

demineralization. These studies addressed the prevention of roots caries in the elderly. This is

good news because most of the research has been done in children and adolescents. As the

population starts to age, more and more of them are keeping their original teeth. It is important

as dental hygienists that we keeping learning about new information on prevention and treatment

of root caries.
 Amanda Davis
Dental Hygiene II

I knew that recession is causing by periodontal disease and toothbrush trauma, but I had

no idea that it is caused by the aging of our bodies. I have learned from dental courses that we

always need to keep learning about the latest products and research in order to keep ourselves

and patients well-informed.