Caries Risk Assessment in Pediatric and Preventive Dentistry: Contemporary Concepts and Recent Technological Advances

AbstractDental caries remains one of the most prevalent chronic diseases affecting children worldwide. The contemporary understanding of caries as a biofilm mediated, multifactorial, and dynamic disease has shifted clinical focus from traditional restorative approaches toward early detection, risk assessment, and prevention. Caries risk assessment (CRA) forms the cornerstone of modern pediatric and preventive dentistry by enabling identification of susceptible individuals and implementation of individualized preventive strategies. This review discusses the biological basis of dental caries, principles and conventional models of CRA, and provides an in-depthanalysis of recent technological advances including artificial intelligence, Internet of Medical Things (IoMT), biosensors, machine learning models, and advanced imaging techniques that are transforming caries risk assessment and early detection in pediatric dentistry.