ICDAS II criteria has edge over WHO criteria for Caries Diagnosis in Children

Recent research revealed that the International Caries Detection and Assessment System (ICDAS II) is a better and more valuable tool than WHO criteria for diagnosing early/non-cavitated carious lesions. The study was published in the International Journal of Pediatric Dentistry.

The most commonly used dental caries index in epidemiological studies is the decayed-missing-filled teeth (DMFT/dmft) index suggested by the World Health Organisation (WHO), which indicates the prevalence of caries based on the occurrence of cavitation. Early detection of non-cavitated carious lesions enables the administration of preventive interventions which eventually reduces the morbidity and financial burden of restorative or rehabilitative therapy. Both the cavitated and non-cavitated carious lesions are included in the International Caries Detection and Assessment System (ICDAS II) with satisfactory reliability. As there is not much literature on the difference between the two tools, Amita Raiet alfrom People's Dental College and Hospital, Kathmandu, Nepal conducted a cross-sectional study to compare dental caries prevalence based on ICDAS II and WHO criteria.