Dental caries and Streptococcus mutans in a rural child population in Iceland

Abstract

In spite of having a high socioeconomic standing, in Iceland caries prevalence has remained stubbornly high. This study reports findings from a mixed fishing and farming community in East Iceland that has traditionally been associated with the highest prevalence of caries. A total of 188 children aged 3–16 yr (96.4% of residents of that age group) were examined. At 6 yr the mean dmfs score was 4.1, DMFS 0 and 48% were caries‐free. The mean DMFS score at 12 yr was 4.7 and 22.6% remained caries‐free but at 16 yr the DMFS score was 11.6 and no children were caries‐free. Caries was unevenly distributed within each age group and was more prevalent among residents of the fishing town than the surrounding farming district. In a pilot study conducted in 1989 mean counts of Streptococcus mutans for children aged 4–7 yr were 2.6 × 105 cfu/ml and declined to 4.6 × 104 cfu/ml in 1990 after a program of chlorhexidine brushing had been added to the routine caries preventive measures adopted in this community. It may therefore be possible to screen Icelandic children for caries risk and apply preventive measures to those demonstrated to be most in need.

Caries experience in a selected group of children in Kuwait

“…On the basis of the present study the goal seems still rather remote. The total proportion of caries-free children studied here (39%) is smaller than in the Nordic countries, where the proportion of caries-free preschool children varies between 58% and 83% (13, 15-17, 25,26), except in Iceland, where the proportion of caries-free is lower: from 39% to 46% (18,19). There seems to be a distinct need for organized oral health care and preventive programs for very young children, with regular examinations by dental professionals, in Kuwait.…”

“…The mean dmft of the presc.hoo1 children studied (2.9) is higher than that found in the Nordic countries in general, where mean dmft scores vary between 0.3 and 2.1 (13-1 7). Iceland IS an exception in Scandinavia, with mean dmft scores of 2 4-4.1 for 4-to 6-year-olds (18,19). In Finland, for instnnce, in 1987 the mean dmft of 3to 7-year-olds was 1.3 ( 16).…”

Are Mutans Streptococci Detected in Preschool Children a Reliable Predictive Factor for Dental Caries Risk? A Systematic Review

“…In 2 studies [Rodriguez Miro et al, 1989;Twetman et al, 1994] only data of the mutans-negative subgroup of children were used for analyses. 23 fi rst or corresponding authors [Aaltonen et al, 1987[Aaltonen et al, , 1988Ansai et al, 2000;Carlsson et al, 1975;Grindefjord et al, 1995Grindefjord et al, , 1996Hirose et al, 1993;Holbrook, 1993;Holbrook et al, 1995;Li et al, 2000;Litt et al, 1995;Mattos-Graner et al, 2001;Radford et al, 2001;Raitio et al, 1995;Reisine et al, 1994;Rodriguez Miro et al, 1989;Roeters et al, 1995;Saemundsson et al, 1992;Shi et al, 2003;Twetman et al, 1994;Twetman and Petersson, 1996;Wendt et al, 1996;Seki et al, 2003b] were contacted for data on the subset of caries-free children at baseline and for data on children tested mutans streptococci-positive at baseline. Contacting the authors allowed for the inclusion of two additional publications [Litt et al, 1995;Wendt et al, 1996], while reviewing references of relevant primary articles found no additional study.…”

Studies on strains ofStreptococcus mutansisolated from caries-active and caries-free individuals in Iceland

“…The prevalence of caries was higher than in other Nordic countries (11) and the decline in caries recorded in N. America, Europe and elsewhere in the latter part of the 20th century did not occur in Iceland until later and, according to the latest surveys, caries prevalence seems to have risen again (12). A number of studies of mutans streptococci have been carried out in Iceland that have served to confirm a number of conclusions that fit with the specific plaque hypothesis (13–16). Interestingly, one longitudinal study of the development of approximal caries on originally healthy approximal tooth surfaces showed that S. mutans sometimes only appeared on the particular approximal tooth surface after the development of caries as detected radiographically.…”