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Alternative Methodological Approaches For Quantifying Dental Caries And Non-Water Beverage Consumptions For The Improvement Of Caries Risk Analyses In Children, Kelsey Harris Jordan

All ETDs from UAB

Researchers assume caries progress constantly, all crowned/extracted tooth surfaces are carious, and non-water beverage consumption (NWBC) habits are similar by relying on increments, dmfs scoring, and consumption frequencies, respectively. These assumptions are likely inaccurate. The purpose of this research was to evaluate and modify the use of 1) longitudinal caries disease assessment, 2) the dmfs score and 3) NWBC variables to more accurately estimate disease and identify risk factors. To investigate, young (8-18 months at baseline), healthy, poor, rural, African American, Alabamian children were observed annually for five years. Three calibrated dentists performed oral examinations (without radiographs), calculating the number …