title: Distribution and prevalence of dental caries in Bauru, Brazil, 1976-2006.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare caries prevalence and severity, as well as the disease distribution in the permanent dentition of 12-year-old schoolchildren in Bauru, Brazil, from 1976 to 2006.
  
  
  METHODS
  Probabilistic samples were obtained in six surveys, from 1976 to 2006, which were conducted by calibrated examiners, following the same protocol. For data analysis, the DMFT (decayed, missing and filled teeth), Significant Caries Index (SiC Index), percentage of caries-free children, Gini Coefficient and Care Index were determined.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The means (SD) for DMFT were 9.89 (3.96), 6.98 (3.80), 4.30 (3.11), 4.29(3.44), 1.53(2.07), and 0.90(1.53) in 1976, 1984, 1990, 1995, 2001 and 2006, respectively. Except for years 1990 and 1995 and also for 2001 and 2006, there were statistically significant differences in mean DMFT among the surveys (p < 0.05). The number of caries-free children (DMFT=0), which has significantly increased over the years (p < 0.001), ranged from 0.4% in 1976 to 63.8% in 2006. The SiC Indexes were 14.34, 11.42, 7.74, 8.06, 3.89, and 2.63; the Care Index were 31.9%, 57.4%, 68.7%, 50.5%, 66.4%, and 56.3%; and the Gini Coefficients were 0.23, 0.30, 0.39, 0.43, 0.66, and 0.76 in the surveys.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Dental caries experience and prevalence in 12-year-old schoolchildren have declined significantly during the last 30 years in Bauru.
authors.affiliation: Faculdade do Odontologia de Piraciaba, UNICAMP, Piracicaba, Brazil.
authors.forename: E P S
authors.initials: EP
authors.lastname: Tagliaferro
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Meneghim
authors.forename: G M B
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Ambrosano
authors.forename: A C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Pereira
authors.forename: S H C
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Sales-Peres
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sales-Peres
authors.forename: J R M
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Bastos
mesh_terms: D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002648:Child; D004245:DMF Index; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D005457:Fluoridation; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence