25
Volume1 Issue7
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I
ssues and
P
eople
What is thecurrent stateof thescience
with regard to themanagementofearly
carious lesions?
The science is evolvingaswe speak, and it’s
evolvingon twodifferent fronts: (1) howwe
detect andmeasure lesions; and (2) howwe
treat them.
Inyourpractice, doyoumanagecaries
differently thanyoudid5or10years
ago?
Yes, I do. That said, changingourwayof
managingcaries is verydifficult becauseof
timeconstraints and shifts in thinking.We
have toconsider risk factors, homecareand
different products, on topof thinkingabout
howwemeasure lesionprogressionand
when, if andhowwe replace restorations.
Aspractitioners,weneed to stopandask
ourselves “If I finda lesion, do I immediately
pickupmyhandpieceas Iwas trained to
doas aclinician, or do I begin to lookat
preventivemeasures andproducts thatmay
help stabilize the lesion?”
Areyoualsoengagingwithyourpatients
inadifferentway?
Definitely! Iwant toeducatemypatients
aboutwhat theyneed todo, so they stay
engagedand involved in the treatment plan.
Our patientsdon’t approach their oral
health theway theyused to. There’s a lot
morediscussionnow, and there’s a sea
of informationpatients readonline—be
it accurateor not—onvariousdisease
processes, includingcaries. Our jobas
cliniciansmust includepatient education.
Doyoubelieve that theNorthAmerican
approach is in tunewith theevolution
of thescienceunderpinningcaries
management?
I don’t believe so; there’s aneed for abigger
shift.We’re still verymuch focusedon
what caries causes—holes, destructionof
restorationmargins, etc.Weneed tomove
our focus toquestions suchas “Howdid it
get thereandwhy?” and “Whyare some
ofmypatients able to resist thisdisease
process?”Wealsoneed togoback to the
basics and refer tocaries as adisease.
Is it time to change our approach to
CARIESMANAGEMENT?
Dr. StephenAbrams is amanofmany talents: a clinicianwithover34years of practice experience, chairof theOntario
DentalAssociation’sDentalBenefitsCommittee for thepast16years, andaprolificauthorwhohas publishedover
100articles in international journals andpublications.
Buthis contribution todentistrydoesnot end there.An innovatorand entrepreneur,Dr.Abramshas alsobeen redefining
cariesmanagement.His company,QuantumDentalTechnologies, developed theCanarySystemused for the early
detectionandmonitoringof carious lesions.CDAmetwithDr.Abrams todiscussdevelopments in cariesmanagement.
StephenAbrams
DDS
Our patients don’t approach their oral health
theway theyused to.There’s a lotmore discussion
nowand our jobas cliniciansmust include
patient education.
Listen to the
interviewat
