Assessment of caries activity by using ORATEST among 4-12 years old children”: An observational study

Abstract Objective: To evaluate caries activity using simple chairside oral rinse test (Oratest) among school going children.Methodology: A total of 50 children aged between 4-12yrs meeting the inclusion criteria were selected and allocated into control group (25 children) and test group (25 children). The test group consisted of 25 children, which were further divided on the basis of no of carious teeth into three subgroups I (1-2 carious teeth), II (3-5 carious teeth) and III (7-9 carious teeth). Oratest was performed to check the existing caries status. The time taken to change Colour depicts the caries activity was recorded in structured proforma. Independent sample T-test and One-way ANOVA was used for statistical analysis.Result: Out of total 50 children, 26 were female and 24 were male with a mean age of 6.74 ±2.20 yrs. The result reported significant difference in mean time for Colour change between control and test group. The Oratest time was highest in patients with less carious activity depicting an inverse relation exist between Oratest and caries activityConclusion: Oratest can be used to assess caries activity as a simple, inexpensive, chairside and less time consuming method. It can be of great help in paediatric dental setups for caries activity assessment as it is readily accepted by children.