Changes in caries experience among 35-year-old Oslo citizens, 1973-2003.
OBJECTIVE
The aims of the present study were to describe caries experience among 35-year-olds in Oslo in 2003 and to assess changes in caries experience during the past 30 years using data from cross-sectional studies performed in 1973, 1984, and 1993.


METHODS
The dental status of 149 randomly selected 35-year-olds in Oslo was examined in 2003 (response rate 64%) and the data were compared with available data from earlier studies. Dental caries was registered clinically and radiographically at the surface level, applying the same criteria as used in previous studies, and recorded as DMFS/T.


RESULTS
The results indicate a gradual decrease in the mean DMFS scores by 62% from 68.2 in 1973 to 26.1 in 2003. There was an 83% decrease in the mean number of DS, a 73% decrease in the mean number of MS, and a 56% decrease in the mean number of FS during this 30-year period. The proportion of individuals with DS = 0 gradually increased from 5% in 1973 to 54% in 2003. There was also a significant decrease in the prevalence of recurrent caries from 2.8% in 1984 to 1.2% in 2003. While a statistically significant reduction in the number of decayed, missing, and filled surfaces was observed during the period 1984-1993, in the past decade (1993-2003) a significant decrease appeared only in the case of the filled surfaces.


CONCLUSIONS
The results indicate that dental health among 35-year-olds in Oslo, measured as a reduction in caries experience, has improved substantially from 1973 to 2003.
Skudutyte-Rysstad
Rasa
R
Faculty of Dentistry, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway. rasas@odont.uio.no
Eriksen
Harald M
HM
D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004245:DMF Index; D003729:Dental Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009664:Norway / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires