title: Epidemiology of dental caries in the pediatric and adolescent population: a review of past and current trends.
abstract: Dental caries in the pediatric and adolescent population has continued to decline significantly over the past two decades, with approximately 50% of US schoolchildren considered to be caries-free. However, by the age of 17 years, only 15% of these young adults have not experienced caries. Over 85% of the lesions in the permanent dentition involve surfaces with pits and fissures, despite the availability of preventive measures such as sealants. Of particular interest is the fact that 17% of children and adolescents account for 67% of the total caries experience. This distribution of dental caries demonstrates the need for a reliable screening method to determine those individuals at high-risk for caries development. The identification of these caries susceptible children and adolescents, and the development of innovative, caries-preventive protocols are necessary for further improvement in the oral health status of the pediatric age group and creation of a caries-free population.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX 77030.
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Hicks
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Flaitz
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D017677:Age Distribution; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004245:DMF Index; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003733:Dental Caries Susceptibility; D006801:Humans; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D016388:Tooth Loss / Q000453:epidemiology; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology