Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40010693›Full record

ArticleJournal of public health dentistry2025

Understanding Utilization and Prevention Measures Associated With a Caries Risk Assessment in Oral Health Transformation.

Melody McGee, Ryan Brandon, Muhammad Walji, Joel White, Kristen Moses, Eric P Tranby, Lisa J Heaton, Kristen Simmons

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of public health dentistry, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Melody McGeeSchool of Dental Hygiene Studies, Pacific University, Hillsboro, Oregon, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0004-2916-0056
Ryan BrandonConsultant, Pacific University, Hillsboro, Oregon, USA.
Muhammad WaljiTexas Center for Oral Healthcare Quality and Safety, Department of Clinical and Health Informatics, University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, Texas, USA.
Joel WhiteDepartment of Preventive and Restorative Dental Sciences, UCSF School of Dentistry, San Francisco, California, USA.
Kristen MosesSchool of Dental Hygiene Studies, Pacific University, Hillsboro, Oregon, USA.
Eric P TranbyCareQuest Institute for Oral Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Lisa J HeatonCareQuest Institute for Oral Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Kristen SimmonsSchool of Dental Hygiene Studies, Pacific University, Hillsboro, Oregon, USA.

Funding

CareQuest Institute for Oral Health
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesDental decay is endemic in the United States, underscoring the need to measure the utilization of caries risk management tools to elucidate the effect of prevention interventions in reducing the dental decay rates of individuals. An academic institution partnered with a third-party institute to call attention to the utilization and prevention measures associated with caries risk assessment (CRA) used with children 0-18 years. This environmental scan examined claims across the United States to evaluate the proportion of dental examinations, CRAs, and caries prevention procedures within a calendar year.

methodsA 12-month deidentified participant list categorized by age, race, sex, state of residence, and treatment dates was provided from the third-party database containing 14,625,751 Medicaid and commercial claims for dental examinations, CRAs, and caries prevention procedures performed in the calendar year 2022.

resultsThe final data set (N = 9,351,848 patient examinations), 86.8% had a caries prevention procedure completed at the examination visit. Still, only 29.4% had a CRA Current Dental Terminology (CDT) coded on the same day of the dental examination. There were higher numbers of CRAs in the Medicaid payor group in states that require CRAs in conjunction with a dental examination.

conclusionsThe utilization of the ADA CRA CDT codes, designed to stratify patients into caries risk categories of low, moderate, or high, was relatively low compared to the examination and prevention procedure claims. Consistent utilization of these codes would allow for more effective monitoring of patient outcomes, supporting a data-driven approach to assessing oral health over time.

Indexed as

Dental CariesOral HealthAdolescentChildChild, PreschoolFemaleHumansInfantInfant, NewbornMaleMedicaidRisk AssessmentUnited Stateshealth promotionoral healthpreventive dentistrypublic health dentistryrisk assessment

Identifiers

PMID40010693
PMCPMC12147411

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.