Hygiene Atlas

Atlas · Plate XII · Patient Assessment and Charting · 04

Hard-tissue charting

Hard-tissue charting records caries, restorations and wear. G.V. Black classes locate lesions, from Class I pits and fissures to Class VI cusp tips and incisal edges. Wear takes four forms: attrition, abrasion, erosion and abfraction. ICDAS grades caries from 0 (sound) to 6 (extensive cavity), and root caries clusters in older adults with recession and dry mouth.

High-yield facts · 6

  1. G.V. Black Class I: pits and fissures (occlusal surfaces of posterior teeth, buccal/lingual pits, lingual pits of maxillary incisors).T2
  2. Class II: proximal surfaces of premolars and molars. Class III: proximal surfaces of incisors and canines without the incisal angle. Class IV: proximal of anteriors including the incisal angle.T2
  3. Class V: gingival third of facial or lingual surfaces. Class VI: incisal edges or cusp tips.T2
  4. Attrition is tooth-to-tooth wear; abrasion is wear by a foreign object (e.g., toothbrush); erosion is chemical; abfraction is a stress-related notch at the cervical area.T2
  5. ICDAS scores caries from 0 (sound) to 6 (extensive cavity with visible dentin).S37
  6. Root caries is most common in older adults with recession and xerostomia.S37

Facts are written in our own words; each tag links to its source. Values marked "sources vary" differ between references, so check the one your program uses.