Nevertheless, there does exist a rather extensive literature on the diagnosis of root caries. There is little disagreement regarding the distribution of root caries lesions. Root caries, by definition, occurs on the root of the tooth. It can occur wholly on the root of the tooth or spread from the crown of the tooth to the root. It can occur on its own or around existing restorations.
Root caries occurs most often at or close to the cemento-enamel junction.
This has been attributed to the location of the crest of the gingiva at the time conditions were favorable for caries to occur. Early root caries tends to be diffuse and tracks along the cemento-enamel junction of the root surface. Clinical Signs of Root Caries Clinical diagnosis is the process of recognizing diseases by their characteristic signs and symptoms. It is an imperfect process because there is considerable variation in both the signs and symptoms in individual subjects and in the interpretation of those signs and symptoms by different clinicians. Nevertheless, clinical observations are powerful determinants of diagnosis and prognosis.