title: Caries experience and treatment needs of five-year-old caucasian nursery school children in Pretoria.
abstract: The caries experience of five-year-old caucasian children at various sites in the world at the present time could be termed moderate to low, and a declining tendency has been noted in the past decade. The aim of this study was to determine the current status and trends of caries experience of 5-year-old caucasian nursery school children in Pretoria. The results from this study, conducted in 1987, showed that 50.9 per cent of 5-year-olds were free of caries experience (dmft = 0) and that the mean dmft was low, viz. 1.97. A comparison of these results with figures published in 1979 indicates that a notable reduction in caries experience has taken place during a period of eight years, the proportion of 5-year-olds free of caries experience having been 40 per cent in 1979, with a mean dmft of 2.9. The most significant change during this period was the decrease in the decayed component of the dmft.
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Dentistry, University of Pretoria.
authors.forename: S J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Booyens
authors.forename: H K
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: van Rooy
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: van der Merwe
mesh_terms: D002675:Child, Preschool; D004245:DMF Index; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013019:South Africa / Q000453:epidemiology; D044465:White People