A four-year cohort study of caries and its risk factors in adolescents with high and low risk at baseline.
OBJECTIVE
To report and compare risk and preventive factors for caries in high- and low-risk adolescents, from a 4-year cohort study on commonly used preventive measures for caries in adolescents in the Swedish Public Dental Service.


METHODS
In 1995 a cohort of 12-year-olds was examined for caries and completed a questionnaire. This procedure was repeated at age 14 and 16. The group identified as being at high risk was examined every year and this group was randomly assigned to one of four preventive programs. The outcomes examined were the caries increments using the DMF-indices. Poisson regression was used to assess risk and preventive factors.


RESULTS
The number of 12-year-olds participating was 3,373 in 1995 and 2,848 were still participating in 1999. A higher risk of caries increment was observed for adolescents from working-class homes, from outside Western Europe, and for those who often ate candy and did not brush their teeth twice a day. Important findings were the different results for the preventive factors when different DMF-indices were used as outcome measures and the fact that there was no difference between the high-risk group and the total group when it came to risk or preventive factors. The clinically tested prevention had a low effect i.e., the semi-annual application of fluoride varnish prevented 10% of the dentine and enamel caries development over 4 years.
Källestål
Carina
C
IMCH, Department of Women's and Children's Health, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden. carina.kallestal@kbh.uu.se
Fjelddahl
Anna
A
D000293:Adolescent; D002182:Candy / Q000009:adverse effects; D002648:Child; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D019422:Dietary Sucrose / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D005460:Fluorides, Topical / Q000008:administration & dosage; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009910:Oral Hygiene; D010895:Pit and Fissure Sealants / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012307:Risk Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology; D014099:Toothbrushing
D019422:Dietary Sucrose; D005460:Fluorides, Topical; D010895:Pit and Fissure Sealants