If you have caries at age 3, the caries increment increase is 7-8x greater over time.

• A. 1
• B. 2
• C. 3
• D. 4

Answer: (C)

Having caries by age three signals a high-risk trajectory for future decay because early disease tends to reflect a cariogenic environment that continues to challenge the teeth over time. When young children already have decay, the rate at which new lesions appear tends to rise as they grow, due to ongoing factors like diet, plaque control, fluoride exposure, and the natural maturation of enamel.

In this context, the best fitting multiplier for future caries increment is threefold. That means the expected increase in caries over the coming years aligns with about a threefold rise, capturing the substantial, not static, progression typical of early-life caries. The other multipliers would either underestimate the progression or imply an amount that doesn’t match the model's typical trajectory for someone with caries at age three. The takeaway is that early caries strongly elevates future caries activity, with a notable, approximately threefold increase in increments over time.