Crown surfaces are affected by which type of caries?

• A. Crown surfaces
• B. Root surfaces
• C. Pulp chamber
• D. Cementoenamel junction

Answer: (A)

Caries are classified by where they occur on the tooth, and the crown is the part of the tooth covered by enamel and dentin that forms the clinical crown. The type that affects these surfaces is coronal (crown) caries, which includes lesions on enamel and the underlying dentin of the crown—from initial enamel caries to deeper dentin involvement under the crown.

Root caries, by contrast, occur on the root surfaces exposed after gingival recession, where cementum and dentin are involved. Pulp chamber involvement is a consequence of lesion progression into the tooth’s interior and isn’t a surface-type category. The cementoenamel junction is simply a landmark; caries aren’t categorized as a type based on that boundary.