Background: Cariogram®, an algorithm-based software model, for predicting caries risk
has been used to assess the caries risk profile of many different groups. The aims of the study
were to evaluate Cariogram caries risk assessment during pregnancy with DMFT/dmft
incidence in mothers and their children 4 years after pregnancy and to check if there is an
association between children’s caries risk profiles using Cariogram and caries risk profiles
(by Cariogram) of their mothers during pregnancy.
Methods: The study population consisted of 96 pregnant women (average age 27.4±7.2 years at
baseline) who completed clinical baseline examination and salivary tests. The follow-up study
was initiated 4 years later and the 80 pairs of mother and children (from that pregnancy) were reexamined using the same procedure at baseline. An individual caries risk profile and DMFT/dmft
incidence were made for each woman and child. The prediction of the Cariogram was compared
to the actual dental experience in 4 years. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV)
and negative predictive value (NPV) for two cut-offs were calculated to express the outcome.
Results: The results showed a strong association between the risk categories of pregnant women
and their offspring as well as between caries development in offspring and the Cariogram risk
categories of pregnant women. Sensitivity and PPV for new DMFT (ΔDMFT>0) 4 years after for
women were high (>80%) for those participants assessed with 0–60% “chance to avoid caries”,
as well as diagnostic accuracy (74.00%). High specificity (91.00%), very high PPV (95.00%) and
clinically useful values according to Youden’s index (0.53) were obtained for moderate-risk and
two lowest-risk groups for dmft in children.
Conclusion: Cariogram was valid in the authors’ sample only and highly predictive in
caries risk assessment in investigated children based on caries risk assessment of their
mothers in pregnancy.
