Amezdroz E, et al. - Given a major role of diet cariogenicity as both a protective and risk factor in the development of early childhood caries, researchers sought to develop a scale measuring the cariogenicity of foods and beverages that could be used to describe the cariogenicity of young children's diets and prognosticate dental caries outcomes. From an Australian children's cohort study, they applied scores of cariogenicity and consumption frequency to food frequency questionnaire with three time-points of data. The subsample of children with caries classification at age 5 years was compared regarding mean cariogenic scale measured at 18 months using one-way ANOVA, with post hoc Tukey test. Children with advanced disease at 5 years vs those that were healthy or had mild-moderate disease showed significantly higher mean cariogenic scale score at 18 months. Findings suggest the utility of the cariogenic diet scale for assessing the increasing cariogenicity of children's diets with age. In addition, the scale emphasizes the inclusion of discretionary choice foods and beverages much earlier into the diets of young children than nutritionally recommended.