Tamara Perić

Caries Management in Adolescents: Navigating the Transition from Childhood to Adulthood

Adolescence is a unique phase of human development between childhood and adulthood. During this stage, rapid physical, cognitive and psychosocial growth occurs. Oral health often has a low priority in adolescents, and their health literacy is generally low, increasing the risk for numerous oral diseases. This is a period of significant behavioral shifts, including changes in dietary habits, negligence of oral hygiene, and engagement in risky behaviors. Studies indicate a notable decline in oral health from childhood to adolescence, implying that prevention and treatment programs for adolescents should be emphasized and designed with special care. Caries management should be based on minimum intervention oral care approach incorporating: remineralization systems, dental sealants, resin infiltration, ion releasing materials for secondary and tertiary prevention of dental caries. The lecture will present the current state of knowledge of diagnosis/detection and prevention, as well as minimum intervention protocols for early treatment of dental caries. Specifics of oral disease management in adolescents, as well as treatment possibilities and limitations will also be reviewed.

Tamara Perić is a Professor at the University of Belgrade School of Dental Medicine. She graduated in 2001, defended her MSc thesis “Experimental and clinical evaluation of a chemo-mechanical system for removal of carious dentine” in 2005, and PhD thesis “Anticaries efficacy of calcium-phosphates in patients with salivary gland hypofunction” in 2011. She is a specialist in paediatric and preventive dentistry. The publications she has authored so far include more than 80 articles in peer-reviewed journals, over 150 conference papers, and 12 co-authored books, while she has also participated in several national and international scientific projects. Her particular expertise is in prevention and non-invasive/minimally invasive treatment of dental caries, glass-ionomer cements, dental traumatology, and oral health research. For her work, Professor Perić was awarded the IADR Centennial Award for New Investigators (2020), the Award (2016) and Plaque (2018) of the Serbian Medical Society, and the 1st prize for Clinical Research at the 16th Congress of the IADT (2010).