Assesment of Dental Caries Based on CAST, ICDAS II and Nyvad’s Criteria in Primary Molars

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İlisulu S. C., Özcan H., Birant S., Seymen F.

European annals of dental sciences (Online), cilt.53, sa.2, ss.59-65, 2026 (TRDizin)

Özet

Purpose: This study aims to test and compare three caries measurement methods, including the Caries Assessment Spectrum and Treatment (CAST), the International Caries Detection and Assessment System (ICDAS), and the Nyvad’ criteria, to assess the degree and severity of dental caries in primary molars. Materials and Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted with 200 children aged 3-5 years to evaluate primary molars based on the CAST, ICDAS II, and Nyvad criteria by two calibrated dentists. Intra- and inter-examiner reliability was established. Statistical significance was accepted at p<0.05. Results: The inter-examiner Kappa coefficient values of agreement were 95% for the Nyvad criteria, 97% for the CAST score, and 93.6% for the ICDAS II score. There was a statistically significant difference in the distributions of ICDAS II scores according to CAST scores (p = 0.001). Furthermore, 87.5% of teeth classified as sound by the CAST method were also classified as sound according to the ICDAS II score. The rate of teeth with enamel caries according to both CAST and ICDAS II was 89.9%, while the rate of teeth with dentine caries is according to both methods was 92.1%. The mean caries rates according to the Nyvad criteria was statistically significantly lower than that for CAST and ICDAS II (p<0.05). According to all indices, no significant difference in caries rates existed between the sexes (p > 0.05). Conclusions: This study revealed significant differences in caries prevalence rates with the application of different diagnostic criteria; the Nyvad criteria yielded lower caries rates compared to CAST and ICDAS II scores, likely due to its activity-based diagnostic thresholds. These outcomes could inform clinical practice and guide future research on caries prevention and intervention strategies in pediatric populations.