Recent Trends in Dental Caries in U.S. Children and the Effect of Water Fluoridation

Abstract

The decline in dental caries in U.S. schoolchildren, first observed nationwide in 1979–1980, was confirmed further by a second national epidemiological survey completed in 1987. Mean DMFS scores in persons aged 5–17 years had decreased about 36% during the interval, and, in 1987, approximately 50% of children were caries-free in the permanent dentition. Children who had always been exposed to community water fluoridation had mean DMFS scores about 18% lower than those who had never lived in fluoridated communities. When some of the “background” effect of topical fluoride was controlled, this difference increased to 25%. The results suggest that water fluoridation has played a dominant role in the decline in caries and must continue to be a major prevention methodology.