1 Drug Invention Today | Vol 12 • Special Issue 1 • 2019 INTRODUCTION Dental caries is an infectious microbial disease of the tooth that is characterized by demineralization and destruction of the hard tissues of the teeth often leading to cavitation. [1] It is an effect of the production of acid by bacterial fermentation of food debris accumulated on the tooth surface. [2] Change in lifestyle and dietary consumption has led to an increase in the prevalence of dental caries in modern times. At the start of the 20 th century, G. V. Black set out a paradigm for operative dentistry in the first Research Article 1 Undergraduate Student, Saveetha Dental College, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Saveetha University, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, 2 Department of Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics, Saveetha Dental College, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Saveetha University, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India *Corresponding author: Dr. K. Anjaneyulu, Department of Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics, Saveetha Dental College, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Saveetha University, 162, Poonamallee High Road, Chennai - 600 077, Tamil Nadu, India. Tel.: +91-9566151527. E-mail: anji.tmdch@gmail.com Received on: 15-06-2019; Revised on: 20-07-2019; Accepted on: 24-08-2019 Access this article online Website: jprsolutions.info ISSN: 0975-7619 edition of his four-volume textbook, “operative dentistry,” published in 1908. He rationalized the manufacture and clinical application of amalgam for the restoration of lesions, set standards for dental cement, and identified the three areas on the tooth surface where caries was most likely to begin – occlusal fissures, proximal contacts, and cervical areas. Based on this, he developed a classification of caries lesions dependent on the position of a lesion and prescribed a cavity design regardless of the size and extent of the lesion. G. V. Black classified them into five classes based on the principle “extension for prevention.” Later, a sixth class was also added to this classification system. • Class I: Cavity in pits or fssures on the occlusal surfaces of molars and premolars; facial and lingual Awareness of G.V. Black, Mount’s and ICDAS scoring systems of dental caries amongst dental practitioners in Chennai: A survey Keerthiga Nagarajan 1 , K. Anjaneyulu 2 * ABSTRACT Aim: The aim of the study was to evaluate the awareness of various dental caries classification systems among dental clinicians in Chennai by means of a survey and derive an opinion on the ease, accuracy, and their understandability of the various classifications. Background: Dr. G. V. Black (1836–1915) developed a system to categorize carious lesions based on the type of tooth affected and the location of the lesion into five classes. It identifies the position of a lesion and prescribes a cavity design regardless of the size and extent of the lesion. This method involved “extension for prevention” in contrast to today’s minimal invasive techniques. G.J. Mount’s classification is based on the site and size of the lesion to encourage a conservative approach to the preservation of natural tooth structure. The International Caries Detection and Assessment System (ICDAS) is a detection and assessment system classifying stages of the caries process which fosters a new model for the measurement of dental caries developed and based on a systematic review of literature on clinical caries detection systems. Materials and Methods: A questionnaire containing questions that assessed the awareness of dental practitioners on the ease, accuracy, and efficiency of the different classification systems of dental caries was distributed to dental clinicians in Chennai (n = 100). Their responses were recorded and analyzed to obtain an opinion on the ease, accuracy, and understandability of the various classification systems. Results: About 75.83% of the dentists supported G. V. Black’s classification. This majority preference for G. V. Black’s classification was found to be because the dentists were unaware of the other newer minimally invasive systems like ICDAS. Conclusion: This study helps understand the current scenario of caries treatment in Chennai. The dentists surveyed have very little awareness of the ease and accuracy of the newer techniques available. There is an urgency in the need to spread awareness of these recent efficient and accurate systems. KEY WORDS: Awareness, Caries management, G. V. Black, Minimal invasion, Mount, The International Caries Detection and Assessment System