Crossword Genius

Most worrying tooth decay, in a way (8)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

scariest

'most worrying' is the definition.
(scary can mean worrying or concerning)

'tooth decay in a way' is the wordplay.
'tooth decay' becomes 'caries' (term for decay of a tooth or bone).
'in' is an insertion indicator.
'a way' becomes 'st'.
'caries' put inside 'st' is 'SCARIEST'.

(Other definitions for scariest that I've seen before include "Most frightening" , "Most terrifying" , "most alarming" .)

I've seen this clue in The Guardian.
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