Clinical and Radiographic Scoring of Dental Caries

Dental caries can be scored based on both the clinical and radiographic appearance.

Clinical scoring:

(1) clinical tissue changes (see table below)

(2) discoloration of dentine: present or absent

(3) hardness: soft or hard

Enamel	Dentin	Cavitation	Clinical Score
normal	normal	none	0
change limited to surface	normal	none	1
change into inner half of the enamel	normal	none	2
change full thickness	change in outer half	none	3
change full thickness	change into inner half	surface of enamel	4
change full thickness	change close to pulp	inner half of enamel	5
change full thickness	change extends to pulp	into dentin	6

Radiographic Appearance (after Moller)	Radiographic Score
enamel with no radiographic changes	0
radiographic change (shadow) in the outer enamel	1
radiographic change (shadow) in the inner enamel and approaches the amelodental junction	2
radiographic change into outer half of dentin	3
radiographic change in the inner half of the dentin	4

where:

• Amelo- = "enamel"

• I would imagine that clinical cavitation into the pulp could be scored as 7 and radiographic involvement of the pulp could be scored as 5.

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