Constant proportion of decayed teeth in adults aged 25, 35, 50 and 65 years in a high-caries area

Caries-risk assessment

Dental caries has a multifactorial aetiology in which there is an interplay of three principal factors: the host (saliva and teeth), the microflora (plaque), and the substrate (diet), and a fourth factor: time. There is no single test that takes into consideration all these factors and can accurately predict an individual's susceptibility to caries. The risk of dental caries can be evaluated by analysing and integrating several causative factors. These include caries experience (initial caries lesions and established caries defects, secondary caries and present caries activity), fluoride use, extent of plaque present, diet, bacterial and salivary activity and social and behavioural factors.

Dental health changes in an Australian Defence Force population

The dental histories of 100 long-term members of the Royal Australian Air Force were obtained from their dental records. Data relating to dental health status, as measured by the DMF indices and the T-Health scores, were tested to determine if there were any correlations present between changes in dental health and certain risk factors which had been identified by previous studies in the General Dental Service in Scotland. These studies had demonstrated positive relationships between the frequency of dental examination and the frequency with which patients changed their dentist, with the amount of dental treatment the patients received. However, within the potential limitations imposed by the sample size, the present long-term study did not detect any significant associations between the frequencies of dental examination or change of dentist, with changes in dental health.

Cariologic aspects of xylitol and its use in chewing gum: a review

Several studies indicate that xylitol is not metabolized to acids either in pure cultures of oral microorganisms in vitro or in dental plaque in vivo. Chronic consumption of xylitol-sweetened chewing gum resulted in reduction of dental plaque, suppression of mutans streptococci, and reduced adhesiveness of plaque. So far, four field studies with regimens including chewing gum and other xylitol-containing products and four clinical trials have been carried out. All of the latter studies showed that a daily intake of two to three pieces of xylitol gum resulted in a defined reduction of caries. There are indications that regular and prolonged use of xylitol chewing gum may have a caries-preventive effect.

Association between untreated caries and age, gender and dental attendance in adults

The aim of the study was to examine the association between untreated caries on the crown and root of the tooth with the age, gender and dental attendance in a group of adult. Six general practitioners in the Greater Manchester area agreed to take part. Over a 6-week period they collected clinical and personal data on 270 of their adult patients. No association was found between the mean number of coronal surfaces with caries and age; however, there was more root caries in people over 55 yr. More recurrent caries associated with a restoration was diagnosed than primary caries. There were proportionally more female than male regular attenders, and once attendance has been taken into account there were no gender differences for either coronal or root caries. Both coronal and root caries were associated with attendance, with irregular attenders experiencing more. Irregular attenders were three and a half times more likely to have caries on the root surfaces than regular attenders.

Tooth loss and caries prevalence in older Floridians attending senior activity centers

Older adults attending 14 senior activity centers in six countries of Florida cooperated for a questionnaire and an oral examination. The mean age was 76.5 yr, and about one-third were 80 yr or older. One-third of the dentate persons had dental caries. Most of the carious lesions were on the crown, not the root, and most of the decay was primary, not recurrent. Most of the persons with a need for caries treatment were likely to seek dental care; however, the majority of carious surfaces were in persons who reported being infrequent users of care. These results from ambulatory older adults suggest that older adults have significant caries treatment needs, and provide support for the view that the treatment of older U.S. adults may grow in the coming decades.

Time estimates for dental treatment in four age cohorts of an adult population

Needs for tooth extractions, conservative dental treatment--including periodontal and caries treatment--and occlusal rehabilitation--including stomatognathic and prosthetic treatment or a combination of these--in a Finnish adult population were summarized and time estimates for the treatment calculated. The study population consisted of 1,275 adults in four age cohorts--25, 35, 50, and 65 years. A decrease was observed from five hours of total dental treatment time needed at ages 25 and 35 years to four hours at age 50 years and three hours at 65 years. At the age of 25 years, 86 percent of the treatment time (255 min) was needed for conservative therapy, the corresponding figures at 65 years being 35 percent (66 min). On the other hand, a fivefold increase (from 13% to 62%) in the proportion of time needed for occlusal rehabilitation was observed between age 25 and 65. A combination of stomatognathic and prosthetic treatment was most frequently needed. The percent of time needed for tooth extractions varied from 1 to 3 percent among the four age cohorts.

Awareness of dental disorders and discrepancy between "objective" and "subjective" dental treatment needs

A dental health survey including an interview, a questionnaire and a clinical examination was conducted among adults aged 25, 35, 50, and 65 yr in Ostrobothnia, Finland. A total of 1275 subjects, 80% of the sample, participated in the clinical examination. 40% of the subjects with at least one dentate sextant had noticed gingival bleeding, 16% gingival inflammation, 20% "gum disease", and 70% at least one decayed tooth. When objectively assessed, a total of 98% had a maximum CPITN code 1-4, 38% a maximum CPITN code 3-4 and 76% were deemed to be in need of fillings. Dentures were objectively non-acceptable in 64% of wearers and subjectively so in 42%. A need for replacing missing teeth was expressed by 14% of the total sample, whereas according to "objective" assessment, 23% had such a need. It is concluded that people tend to underestimate their dental treatment needs, the discrepancy being most distinct in the field of periodontology. Sufficient emphasis should thus be given to improving people's awareness and knowledge of their own dental disorders.