California Dental Association Foundation launches dental risk assessment campaign

SACRAMENTO, California--The California Dental Association Foundation will launch an oral-health campaign Sept. 11-14 at CDA's 2008 Fall Scientific Session Conference at the Moscone Center in San Francisco.

Caries Management by Risk Assessment, an approach to dentistry that helps dentists assess the risk for cavities and other oral-health problems, is aimed to move dentistry toward a medical model of preventive care.

"The Foundation is supporting CAMBRA at the fall session because we feel this is a tremendous step in the direction of preventive care," said Jon Roth, executive director of the CDA Foundation. "In addition to regular dental checkups and cleanings, which are an essential part of any healthy oral health care regimen, CAMBRA provides extra resources for combating oral disease before it can occur."

Instead of only determining the presence of cavities and other irritations in the mouth, CAMBRA helps dentists assess a patient's risk for oral disease by examining numerous health and lifestyle factors as part of the regular dental checkup.

Factors such as the patients' diet, previous dental work, medications, family history and saliva flow are explored to provide unique, patient-specific guidance to prevent future disease. When caught early enough, there are a number of noninvasive interventions a dentist can suggest that will arrest or reverse the disease process and keep the structure of the tooth intact.

For more information about the California Dental Association Foundation, visit California Dental Association Foundation.

To read more about this topic, go to windows.

To comment on this subject, go to PennWell Dental Community site.