Trends in dental caries rates in 12- and 13-year-old schoolchildren from Florianópolis (Brazil) between 1971 and 2005.
OBJECTIVE
To estimate dental caries prevalence and severity among all 12- and 13-year-old schoolchildren enrolled in a public school in 2005 and to establish comparisons with the results of studies previously conducted in the same school in 1971, 1997 and 2002.


METHODS
A cross-sectional study involving 190 children was carried out. A single calibrated examiner collected the clinical data according to the World Health Organization (1997) criteria.


RESULTS
The response rate was 90.0%. Between 1971 and 2005, the observed reduction in caries prevalence was 58.2%, whereas the mean DMFT Index declined from 9.2 to 0.8, which corresponds to a reduction of 91.3%. The significant caries index (SiC) reduced from 3.4 (CI 95% 3.0-3.8) in 2002 to 2.2 (CI 95% 1.8-2.5) in 2005.


CONCLUSIONS
This study indicates an actual decline in dental caries prevalence and severity among the schoolchildren during the studied period, even though different diagnostic criteria were used.
Souza
Marina Leite
ML
Curso de Graduação em Odontologia, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina.
Bastos
João Luiz Dornelles
JL
Peres
Marco Aurélio
MA
D000293:Adolescent; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000453:epidemiology*; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male