title: Trends in caries experience in US employed adults from 1971-74 to 1985: cross-sectional comparisons.
abstract: The evidence for trends in caries experience among adults is examined by use of data from the NCHS NHANES I survey of dental disease, conducted from 1971 to 1974, and the NIDR Survey of Employed Adults and Seniors, conducted in 1985 and 1986. The main findings of the study are: (1) Mean DMF teeth and surfaces have declined among US employed adults who were 18-44 years old in 1985 compared with similar-aged persons in 1971-74; (2) differences in mean DMF teeth and surfaces could not be detected when persons aged 45 or older were compared; (3) missing and decayed components of DMF decreased in all age groups; (4) mean DF teeth decreased in persons under 30 years of age and mean DF surfaces in persons under 35; (5) improvements in DMF were demonstrated by both genders and all regions of the US; (6) all tooth types (anteriors, premolars, and 1st and 2nd molars) showed improvement in DMF; and (7) while employed whites clearly demonstrated an improvement in DMF, a commensurate improvement among employed blacks was not apparent. As measured by the DMF index, caries experience declined in US employed adults under 45 years old between 1971-74 and 1985.
authors.affiliation: Epidemiology and Oral Disease Prevention Program, NIDR, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892.
authors.forename: L J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: P A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Swango
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American; D017677:Age Distribution; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004245:DMF Index; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology; D004651:Employment; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017678:Sex Distribution; D016388:Tooth Loss / Q000453:epidemiology; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D044465:White People