title: Exploring the determinants of secular decreases in dental caries among Korean children.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to determine the contributions of sealant and water fluoridation to the time trends in dental caries from 2003 to 2010.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data were from three waves of the Korean National Oral Health Surveys between 2003 and 2010, including a total of 23 059 children (11 889 boys and 11 170 girls) aged 8, 10, and 12 years. The impacts of sealant and water fluoridation on dental caries were obtained by logistic regression for each age group of children. The contributions of sealant and water fluoridation to the time trends in the prevalence of dental caries were examined by a series of logistic regression models, and changes in the adjusted odds ratios for each survey year were also calculated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Over the past 7 years, the prevalence of dental caries decreased dramatically. Although sealant had a significant impact on dental caries in each survey year, remarkable decreases in dental caries from 2003 to 2010 were not explained by the secular changes in the dental sealant or water fluoridation factor.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We observed important population declines in dental caries in Korea in children aged 8-12 years; however, the likely causes for these secular trends remain to be determined.
authors.affiliation: Department of Preventive and Social Dentistry, School of Dentistry, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea.|Dental Research Institute, School of Dentistry, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Hye-Ju
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Preventive and Social Dentistry, School of Dentistry, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea.|Dental Research Institute, School of Dentistry, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Dong-Hun
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Han
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D002648:Child; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D003753:Dental Health Surveys; D005260:Female; D005457:Fluoridation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010895:Pit and Fissure Sealants / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015995:Prevalence; D015397:Program Evaluation; D056910:Republic of Korea / Q000453:epidemiology; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D010895:Pit and Fissure Sealants
keywords: caries; epidemiology; prevention; public health policy