Extent of differences in dental caries in permanent teeth between childhood and adulthood in 26 countries

Abstract

Objective: To compare levels of caries in permanent teeth between children and adults and specifically, the extent to which the decayed, missing, filled teeth (DMFT) index was greater in adults than in children.

Methods: The analysis was based on published reports from 26 countries with comparable summary data on dental caries for different World Health Organisation index ages. Reports were obtained from two large electronic databases, the World Health Organisation Oral Health Country/Area Profile Programme and the Global Burden of Disease 2010 Study.

Results: Very much higher levels of caries occurred in adults than in children in all 26 countries. For most countries, irrespective of the DMFT levels in 12-year-olds, the percentage difference in levels of DMFT between 12-year-olds and 35- to 44-year-olds was above 500% and the relative difference was 5 or more.

Conclusion: Large differences in experience of dental caries in permanent teeth were found between childhood and adulthood.

Keywords: Dental caries; age; oral epidemiology.

Figure 1.

National estimates for DMFT (decayed, missing, filled teeth) index for 12-year-olds, 15- to19-year-olds and 35- to 44-year-olds in selected countries (Australia, Belarus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Netherlands, Spain, South Korea, Thailand, Turkey, the USA and the UK reported data for 15-year-olds; Finland for 17-year-olds; Tanzania and Austria for 18-year-olds; New Zealand for 15- to 17-year-olds; and Canada, Malaysia, Japan, Iran and Brazil for 15- 19-year-olds).