title: Time trends in caries experience of 6- and 12-year-old children of different socioeconomic status in The Hague.
abstract: The caries experience among 6- and 12-year-old children in the The Netherlands from the mid seventies showed a continued decreasing trend. A halt in the decline of caries experience of the primary dentition of 6-year-olds occurred after 1983, whereas among 12-year-old children the decrease in mean DMFS values continued in the period 1980-1989. The 1996 survey in The Hague showed that the decline in caries in 12-year-old native children of low socioeconomic status (SES) has come to an end (average DMFT of 1.1). However, in medium- and high-SES groups, the percentages of caries-free children have continued to rise. Of the medium-SES 6- and 12-year-old children, 79 and 89% were caries-free, respectively; in the high-SES children the respective figures were 84 and 86%. A DMFT of 0.3 in 12-year-olds of medium and high SES was found, the general value was 0.7 and 74% with zero caries experience.
authors.affiliation: Department of Preventive and Community Dentistry and Pedodontics, College of Dental Science, University of Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: G J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Truin
authors.forename: K G
authors.initials: KG
authors.lastname: König
authors.forename: E M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Bronkhorst
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Frankenmolen
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mulder
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: van't Hof
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002648:Child; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004245:DMF Index; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control; D003793:Dental Restoration, Permanent / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003804:Dentin / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D009426:Netherlands / Q000453:epidemiology; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011203:Poverty; D015995:Prevalence; D012923:Social Class; D013997:Time Factors; D014094:Tooth, Deciduous / Q000473:pathology