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

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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.