The structure and prevalence of superficial carious and non-carious lesions of permanent and deciduous enamel in children who presented for routine dental care in various districts of St. Petersburg

Relevance. To increase the effectiveness of prevention and treatment protocols, it is above all necessary to consider the activity of caries, especially at the early enamel lesion stage, in the form of a white spot, to make the correct diagnosis based on a clinical examination, which assesses the location, change in surface hardness, symmetry, contour shape, depth, color and opacity of the lesion. Different causes of superficial enamel discoloration, in the form of white spots, are paramount for the restorative treatment as the quality of the enamel preparation affects the marginal fit and the durability of the restoration. However, poor oral hygiene, disturbance in eating behavior affect the course of non-carious hard-tissue diseases, which caries may complicate. Purpose – to optimize the diagnosis of initial dental enamel lesions to improve the caries prevention quality.Materials and methods. The study examined 460 children living in the Central and Krasnoselsky districts of St. Petersburg. The following indices assessed hard tissue condition: OHI-S, Greene and Vermillion; OHI by O'Leary T., Drake R., Naylor; White spot lesions index, Gorelick L, Geiger A. M, Gwinnett A. J., DMFT and df; caries activity.Results. The total prevalence of superficial (initial) lesions of hard tissues was 37.82%, i.e. 174 people out of 460 examined patients had superficial enamel lesions according to the criteria of I and II categories. The study found enamel changes in the age groups: 5-6 years (130) – 36 people (27.69%); 12 years old (175) – 62 people (35.42%); 15 years old (155) – 76 people (49.03%).Conclusions. Focusing on the caries activity signs rather than a precise differential diagnosis of the lesion nature is necessary to provide well-timed treatment and prevention upon detecting initial enamel lesion at a dental check-up.