Prevalence and distribution of caries in a Jerusalem adolescent population by age, sex, and family income.

Abstract

Four hundred and fourteen high school students aged 12-17 were examined clinically using the DMFS index and bitewing radiographs. Analyses by age, sex, economic status, and types of teeth and tooth surfaces were performed and results were compared with other international studies. Only 7.5 percent of the study population had a zero DMFS score. Females had a significantly higher DMFS score than males (13.21 vs 9.59). Caries experience increased with age and a general trend of increasing DMFS was observed with increasing levels of income. Socioeconomic status (SES) was related directly to DMFS in Israel, in contrast to an inverse relationship observed in most other western countries. First molars were most susceptible to caries attack and accounted for 41.2 percent of the total DMFS. Almost 50 percent of all affected surfaces were occlusal and 29.4 percent were proximal. Caries prevalence in general and proximal caries in particular were found to be much higher in the study population than corresponding figures in other industrialized countries. A significant decrease in caries prevalence could be expected in Israel in the next decade if primary preventive measures are implemented immediately.