title: Changes in caries prevalence in Ashkelon, Israel, children 1980-1994.
abstract: During the 14 years from 1980 to 1994, a marked reduction in caries prevalence was noted in Ashkelon. In the 7-year-old age group, the percentage of caries free children increased from 21 per cent to 29 per cent and the dmft dropped from 3.5 to 2.7. In the 13-year-old group there was also a marked improvement. The percentage of caries free children increased by 16 per cent (from 30 per cent to 35 per cent) with a marked reduction in the DMFT, from 2.3 to 1.9. The DT component halved from 1.8 to 0.9, with a marked rise in the FT component from 0.4 to 1.1. There is less decay and much less untreated dental decay in Ashkelon today than in 1980.
authors.affiliation: District Health Office, Barzilai Medical Center, Ashkelon, Israel.
authors.forename: S P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Zusman
authors.forename: A N
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Crawford
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004245:DMF Index; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007557:Israel / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence