Changes in the epidemiologic pattern of dental caries in a Danish rural community over a 10‐year period

Abstract

A number of reports during recent years have suggested that dental caries is decreasing in several populations. In order to substantiate this, recordings of dental caries collected over a 10-year period were analyzed. All children received systematic preventive and restorative care from kindergarten to 9th or 10th grade (age approximately 16 years). Each cohort consisted of 50-60 children, and data on dental caries were available on all children in 1st through 7th grade over a 9-year period. Mean DMFS had decreased with 72% for 1st graders, 65% for 4th graders and 69% for 7th graders. Analyses of the distribution of children according to DMFS showed that in spite of the general decrease in mean DMFS, some children still showed high DMFS-values. The variability according to DMFS was increased during the same period as indicated by the coefficient of variation. Furthermore, children with a given, high DMFS account for a decreasing fraction of all DMF-surfaces in the population as the mean DMFS decreases. It is suggested that the effect on mean DMFS for the entire group of children of a hypothetical, individualized preventive program for high-risk individuals would be limited. In the light of these findings the appropriateness of special preventive programs for "high-risk" individuals is questioned.

Caries and Treatment Patterns in Children Related to School Lunch Program Eligibility

“…A national survey of caries prevalence in schoolchildren aged 5-17 showed a 32 percent decline in dental caries between 1971-74 and 1979-80 (1). Other developed countries have reported similar trends in declining caries prevalence (8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13). However, this trend is not universal, since caries experience in many developing countries is increasing (14).…”

Caries prevalence in Icelandic chilcjren in 1970 and 1983

“…A ranking by locality of the general decrease in the DMFS in the age groups examined shows the greatest decrease in Denmark (61%) and Sweden (50%), followed by England (38%) and the Netherlands (33%), with Iceland (9%) showing the lowest decrease in the DMFS index (13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19).…”

Immigrants and a public oral health care service for children in Denmark

“…To identify these risk groups and possibly establish preventive programs for them is an only partly solved task for the Services (5). A recent report (4) even suggests a certain amount of "overkill" in the systetn.…”

“…However, it seems that children benefit differently from the system with a certain part of the children still carrying a large proportion of the total amount of disease. To identify these risk groups and possibly establish preventive programs for them is an only partly solved task for the Services (5).…”