Caries experience in rural Victorian adolescents

Abstract

An oral health status survey was conducted on 818 adolescents aged 12 to 16 years in a non-fluoridated area in rural Victoria. The prevalence and severity of dental caries experience was found to increase with age. The occlusal surface was the predominant surface affected by dental caries for all age groups. Filled surfaces represented the largest component of the DMFS index and were responsible for the increasing dental caries experience with age. Fewer fissure sealants were present with increasing age and second molars were sealed less often than the first molars. Although no difference was evident in the total caries experience between those with and without access to public dental services, a statistical difference was found to exist in unmet need between these two groups. Untreated caries levels were significantly higher in health card holders. The provision of preventive and dental treatment services to this group should be a priority in the future.

British Society of Paediatric Dentistry: a policy document on fissure sealants in paediatric dentistry

“…Despite the welcome upturn in the provision of dental sealants there remain significant numbers of children and adolescents for whom this preventive approach is not routine. In the United States, the majority of dental caries is distributed amongst 25% of the population [15], with pits and fissures of newly erupted molar teeth continuing to be the vulnerable sites [16–18]. In Canada, 95% of caries or restorations in first permanent molar teeth of 8‐year‐old children are found in pits and fissures [9].…”