Cariogram

Cariogram is a computer-based caries risk assessment tool used in dentistry to estimate an individual's likelihood of developing dental caries over a defined period. It combines multiple risk and protective factors into a single risk profile and presents the results as a diagram that highlights the relative contribution of each factor to the overall risk.

The model uses input from clinical examination, patient history, and, when available, laboratory tests. Core factors typically include dietary habits (especially intake of fermentable carbohydrates), levels or presence of oral bacteria such as mutans streptococci, past caries experience, and various susceptibility and environmental factors such as saliva characteristics (flow and buffering capacity), fluoride exposure, oral hygiene, plaque amount, and broader circumstances like socio-economic status or access to care. Using these inputs, Cariogram calculates an individual risk and displays it as a pie chart, with segments corresponding to factor categories. The chart also conveys the probability of avoiding caries, helping clinicians tailor preventive strategies.

Applications include individualized preventive planning, patient education, and monitoring risk over time. By identifying dominant risk factors, clinicians may prioritize interventions such as dietary counseling, enhanced fluoride programs, saliva-stimulation measures, improved plaque control, sealants, or behavior change support. Evidence on predictive validity is variable; some studies report moderate short-term accuracy in children and adolescents, while others find inconsistent performance across populations. Limitations include dependence on the quality and completeness of input data and the lack of universal standardization.