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Caries prevalence and distribution in individuals aged 3–20 years in Jönköping, Sweden, over a 30‐year period (1973–2003)
Author(s) -
HUGOSON ANDERS,
KOCH GÖRAN,
HELKIMO ANYDELL,
LUNDIN SVENÅKE
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
international journal of paediatric dentistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.183
H-Index - 62
eISSN - 1365-263X
pISSN - 0960-7439
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-263x.2007.00874.x
Subject(s) - medicine , epidemiology , age groups , demography , population , dentistry , pediatrics , environmental health , sociology
Background. Oral health status of individuals aged 3–80 years in the city of Jönköping, Sweden, has been assessed in a series of epidemiological studies over a 30‐year period. Aim. To analyse the changes in caries prevalence and caries distribution in child population sample groups, based on studies performed in 1973, 1978, 1983, 1993, and 2003. Design. Each time point included 500 randomly sampled individuals, divided into age groups of 3, 5, 10, 15, and 20 years. Results. Thirty‐five per cent of 3‐year‐olds were caries free in 1973, compared with 69% 30 years later. Decayed and filled primary (dfs) and permanent surfaces (DFS) were reduced by 50–80% between 1973 and 2003. Adolescents aged 10 and 15 years exhibited the most pronounced reduction in DFS on the occlusal surfaces. By 2003, 90% of the proximal carious lesions in 15‐year‐olds were initial carious lesions. In 2003, about 60% of 15‐year‐olds had a DFS of ≤ 5, while about 7% exhibited a DFS of ≥ 26. Conclusions. Despite the dramatic decline in the prevalence of caries, caries remains a health problem among children, particularly those of preschool age. Continuous epidemiological studies are recommended to evaluate preventive measures.