Changing caries prevalence in primary and permanent teeth of children in a Jerusalem neighbourhood

Abstract

The objective of the present study was to conduct cross-sectional surveys of caries prevalence in Jerusalem schoolchildren from one geographic region over time (9 years for 6-year-old first graders and 6 years for 9-year-old fourth graders), and to examine possible changes in caries levels. Dental caries was assessed among school children in one Jerusalem neighbourhood, employing the DMFS and dmfs indices, for permanent and primary teeth respectively. One epidemiologist in the team of examiners participated in all stages of the surveys and served as the calibrator. Data indicated a decline among 6-year-old children of mean DMFS scores from 1.64 in 1983, to 0.32 in 1992, and of mean dmfs values from 13.95 to 8.09. Among 9-year-old children, mean DMFS scores declined from 3.50 in 1986 to 2.50 in 1992. The water supply of Jerusalem was optimally fluoridated to 0.9 ppm in 1988, and this is suggested as a contributor to the decline in caries prevalence.

Dental trauma among 5th and 6th grade Arab schoolchildren in Eastern Jerusalem

“…With the decrease in prevalence of caries (1, 2), dental trauma, an irreversible pathology, has now achieved more deserved attention by the dental profession (3). Dental trauma among children has been described in the literature in many countries, including the Middle East, and is related with gender, orthodontic factors, sport activities and psychosocial environments (4–8).…”