Caries risk assessment and caries management by risk assessment after graduation: university dental school alumni use, attitudes, and beliefs

Aims: This project examined the acceptance and use of Caries Management by Risk Assessment (CAMBRA) by the university dental school alumni after graduation. Methods: In 2011, a university dental school implemented a CAMBRA Competency Examination (CE) for assessing students’ ability to conduct a caries risk assessment and preventive plan. A survey was distributed in 2020 to 5,000 university dental school alumni who graduated between 1975 and 2019 which assessed their use and beliefs regarding Caries Risk Assessment (CRA). Alumni were placed into two groups for purposes of analysis: Group 1(G1): those who graduated prior to 2013 (n= 373) and Group 2 (G2) : those who graduated in or after 2013 (n=213). Results: There was an overall response rate of 12% as 586 alumni responded to the survey. Overall, most (82.59%) of the survey respondents routinely assessed for caries risk, with 31.82% using a standardized tool. 42.83% of the respondents strongly agreed that CRA could predict the risk of future caries. There were significant differences between groups in terms of routine use of CRA (39.68% in G1 vs 48.36% in G2); very strong belief that a dentist’s use of CRA can predict the future risk of caries (39.68% vs 48.36%); extreme importance of active caries when determining a preventive plan (38.16% vs 53.43%); and always treating children with incipient lesions with in-office fluoride (61.56% vs 76.02%) (all p<.05). Conclusion: The alumni who graduated after the implementation of the competency examination used CAMBRA to a greater extent than those who graduated before its implementation, suggesting a possible paradigm shift.