Abstract
In order to establish an efficient means of delivering dental care, every country needs to mesure the prevalence of dental disease. In the United Kingdom, national surveys have been carried out, for both children and adults, since 1968. During the last 20 years, a decline in the prevalence of dental caries in children has been recorded. This paper considers some 'of the results of the 1988 Adult Dental Health Survey (published in January 1991) in the light of the secular decline in dental caries in children.
Highlights
In the 1960' s dental caries was seen as a disease of epidemic proportions affecting the youth of the Western World
The theme of a decline in dental caries took on an international flavour when the first international conference devoted to this topic was held in Boston in 1982
Speakers from Denmark, Eire, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Scotland, Sweden and the United States all confirmed that a downward trend in dental caries in children had occurred.(3) The downward trend was confirmed by a Working Group of the FDl(4) and the World Health Organisation, who had access to figures from the WHO Global Oral Datal Bank.(5)
Summary
In the 1960' s dental caries was seen as a disease of epidemic proportions affecting the youth of the Western World. Koch and Petersson( I) reported DMFS values of 31.0 and 27.4 for 15 year old f children at the start of a 1 year trial of Duraphat fluoride varnish. Towards the end of the 1970' s the view that the dental health of children was improving was rather cautiously being put forward in England by Palmer(2) and others. Speakers from Denmark, Eire, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Scotland, Sweden and the United States all confirmed that a downward trend in dental caries in children had occurred.(3) The downward trend was confirmed by a Working Group of the FDl(4) and the World Health Organisation, who had access to figures from the WHO Global Oral Datal Bank.(5)
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