Dental caries experience in northern Manhattan adolescents.
OBJECTIVE
The study sought to document dental caries among adolescents residing in northern Manhattan, New York, by race, sex, and community.


METHODS
Clinical and demographic data were collected from children aged 12-17 years at five school-based dental clinics in northern Manhattan. Data on dental caries were collected by calibrated examiners using the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research criteria for oral examinations.


RESULTS
A total of 566 children participated in the study. They were predominantly Hispanic (64%) or African American (28%). Compared to data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III, mean DMFT (3.36 vs 2.53; P<.01) and the prevalence of untreated disease (36% vs 16%; P<.01) were significantly higher for northern Manhattan adolescents. Of the adolescents evaluated, 13 percent had at least one severely carious tooth with pulpal involvement that required either extraction or endodontic therapy.


CONCLUSIONS
Adolescents in northern Manhattan have higher caries prevalence and higher levels of untreated caries than their national counterparts. Carious lesions progress to pulpal involvement in a high percentage of northern Manhattan children and require extraction or root canal therapy as treatment. There is an urgent need for affordable and available dental primary care services targeted to economically disadvantaged communities.
Mitchell
Dennis A
DA
Columbia University School of Dental and Oral Surgery, Division of Community Health, 630 West 168th Street, P&S Box 20, New York, NY 10032, USA. dml48@columbia.edu
Ahluwalia
Kavita P
KP
Albert
David A
DA
Zabos
Georgina P
GP
Findley
Sally E
SE
Trinh-Shevrin
Chau B
CB
Marshall
Stephen E
SE
Lamster
Ira B
IB
Formicola
Allan J
AJ
D000293:Adolescent; D001741:Black or African American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D044383:Black People; D002648:Child; D004245:DMF Index; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D020380:Needs Assessment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D009519:New York City / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D012111:Residence Characteristics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012390:Root Canal Therapy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012737:Sex Factors; D014081:Tooth Extraction / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D035862:Vulnerable Populations / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D044465:White People