title: Rise and fall of caries prevalence in German towns with different F concentrations in drinking water.
abstract: The rise and fall of caries prevalence (DMFT) and its relation to changing F concentration of drinking water and other health-related factors is analysed based on dental findings of more than 286,000 subjects of either sex (6-15 years old) from the two industrial towns Chemnitz and Plauen. Water fluoridation (1.0 +/- 0.1 ppm F) was implemented in Chemnitz (formerly Karl-Marx-Stadt) in 1959. It was in operation until autumn 1990 with an interruption lasting 22 months around the year 1971. In the F-poor town of comparison, Plauen, 55% of the citizens were supplied with F-enriched drinking water (0.9 ppm F) during the years 1972-1984. Another 20% received F-containing mixed water (0.4-0.7 ppm F). During the first three decades of the study the level of caries prevalence was strictly correlated with the availability of an optimal caries preventive F concentration in the drinking water. Water fluoridation was followed by a decrease of caries, and interruptions in fluoridation were followed by increasing caries levels. A different caries trend was observed in the years from 1987 to 1995. There was a significant caries decrease down to the lowest DMFT (2.0) since 1959 in spite of the fact that only F-poor water was available over years in both towns. This improvement of oral health is explained by changes in caries-preventive and environmental conditions.
authors.affiliation: Dental School of Erfurt, Department of Preventive Dentistry, Friedrich Schiller University of Jena, Germany.
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Künzel
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fischer
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002327:Cariostatic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000032:analysis* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004245:DMF Index; D019140:Dental Care for Children / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D003733:Dental Caries Susceptibility; D019422:Dietary Sucrose / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005260:Female; D005457:Fluoridation; D005459:Fluorides / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000032:analysis* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005460:Fluorides, Topical / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D017673:Sodium Chloride, Dietary; D014100:Toothpastes; D014881:Water Supply / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D002327:Cariostatic Agents; D019422:Dietary Sucrose; D005460:Fluorides, Topical; D017673:Sodium Chloride, Dietary; D014100:Toothpastes; D005459:Fluorides