Trends in dental caries: Australian adolescents

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.

Caries experience in rural Victorian adolescents

Soo¹,

Morgan

1995

The Oral Health of Childern and Adolescents in Heidelberg, Victoria, 1991

Estioko

Wright

1995

Changing patterns of oral health were investigated in a selected population of children and adolescents in Heidelberg, Victoria. Oral health was examined in terms of caries experience, oral hygiene and gingival condition. The findings were compared with the results of a study conducted in the same area 10 years previously. The findings were also related to sociodemographic variables such as age, sex, and ethnic and socioeconomic background. A random sample of 403 children and adolescents aged 6-8 years, 11-13 years, and 14-16 years were selected from 5 primary schools and 3 secondary schools in the area. A questionnaire eliciting sociodemographic information was administered and an intra-oral examination was conducted on each subject. Dental caries was recorded in terms of DMF-T. Oral hygiene was assessed by the Plaque Index and gingival status by the Gingival Index. Results showed that subjects from this study demonstrated improved oral health compared with subjects from the previous study. In 1981, 25 per cent of 6-8 year olds and 9 per cent of 14-16 year olds were caries free. In 1991, 92 per cent of 6-8 year olds and 36 per cent of 14-16 year olds were caries free. Predictably, it was also found that age was significantly related to caries level, oral hygiene and gingival condition.

Intra‐oral distribution and impact of caries experience among South Australian school children

Slade

Spencer

Davies

et al. 1996

This report describes the intra-oral distribution of caries and frequency of reported toothache using data from 9690 South Australian children aged 5-15 years. School dental therapists and dentists recorded dmfs and DMFS data and a questionnaire to parents sought information about toothache and its impact. There were higher levels of caries experience in deciduous teeth (mean 6-year-old dmfs = 2.61) compared with permanent teeth (mean 12-year-old DMFS = 1.15). In the deciduous dentition: between 11.4 per cent (9-year-olds) and 37.7 per cent (5-year-olds) of total dmfs was present as untreated decay; between 39.1 per cent (7-year-olds) and 42.8 per cent (10-year-olds) occurred on interproximal surfaces; and between 2.0 per cent (10-year-olds) and 27.8 per cent (5-year-olds) occurred in anterior teeth. In the permanent dentition, the majority of permanent caries experience occurred as fillings in pits and fissures of first molars and involved a single surface. Between 11.8 per cent (5-year-olds) and 31.8 per cent (12-year-olds) of children had a reported history of toothache, although the figure exceeded 50 per cent among children with all three forms of pit/fissure, interproximal and smooth-surface caries experience. The observed pattern of caries provides the basis for continued use of fissure sealants as a preventive measure among school children.