A Review of Dental Caries Classification Systems

Abstract

Dental caries is a preventable, infectious disease that forms a significant portion of daily dental practice. Caries occurs due to an imbalance in demineralization and remineralization process resulting in mineral loss over a period of time. Detecting and recording carious lesions is an essential component of the dental hygiene process. Dental caries present with a wide range of clinical features affecting all age groups and all surfaces of teeth. The first attempt in classifying dental caries was by G.V Black. With the advancements in preventive strategies, various classification systems have been proposed to classify dental caries by limiting the cavity size and retaining a maximum natural tooth structure. All classification systems must be simple, reliable, comprehensive, and validated. It is important to classify to aid communication, outcome, diagnosis, and treatment plan. The purpose of this article is aimed to overview the classifications of dental caries with their respective strengths and demerits.