title: Caries increment among army personnel: a 5-year longitudinal study.
abstract: To assess the progression of dental caries among Malaysian infantry soldiers after 5 years in military service. A retrospective cohort study with a self-administered questionnaire and a clinical oral examination. Data were available for 173 (67.3%) soldiers. Mean decayed, missing, or filled teeth had increased significantly by 20.6% (P = .001) over 5 years. The highest increase was in the missing teeth component (+120%), followed by filled teeth (+23%). This was accompanied by a decrease in decayed teeth (-23.5%; P < .05). In terms of surfaces, mean decayed, missing, or filled surfaces, missing surfaces, and filled surfaces had increased significantly (P < .05). Caries experience was significantly associated with smoking status and rank (P < .05). Dental caries experience was worse after 5 years in military service compared with during recruitment, and there were more tooth extractions than restorations. Health promotion interventions are needed to prevent further tooth loss among soldiers.
authors.affiliation: University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia amrizan07@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Amrizan Abdul
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Wahid
authors.affiliation: University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Zamros Yuzadi Mohd
authors.initials: ZY
authors.lastname: Yusof
authors.affiliation: University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Nasruddin
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Jaafar
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008296:Malaysia / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008889:Military Personnel / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D055815:Young Adult