Dental caries prevalence among 12–15-year-olds in Lithuania between 1983 and 2005

Objective. To analyze the dynamics of prevalence and severity of dental caries among 12- and 15-year-old schoolchildren in six regions of Lithuania.
Material and methods. A total of 5910 schoolchildren aged 12 and 15 years were examined. Dental caries was diagnosed according to the criteria of World Health Organization. The prevalence of dental caries was calculated by dividing the number of children with caries by the number of all children examined and expressed as percentage. Severity of dental caries was described by DMF-T index. DMF-T indices of individual persons as well as each age group were determined. Oral hygiene was evaluated by a simplified oral hygiene index. Fluoride concentration in Kretinga was 1.6–2.2 ppm; in the other regions, it varied between 0.2 to 0.4 ppm.
Results. The prevalence of dental caries among 12-year-olds was 88.4% in 1983 and 85.5% in 2005; among 15-year-olds, it was 95.5% and 92.9%, respectively. Mean DMF-T score decreased from 4.5 (in 1983) to 3.7 (in 2005) among 12-year-olds and from 6.4 (in 1983) to 5.6 (in 2005) among 15-year-olds. Oral hygiene index decreased from 1.69 in 1983 to 1.34 in 2005 among 12-year-olds and from 1.46 to 1.22 among 15-year-olds, respectively.
Conclusions. A tendency towards decrease in the prevalence and severity of dental caries was observed, when caries prevention program was running. Correlation between oral hygiene and DMF-T was observed in both age groups. Decreased prevalence and intensity of dental caries among 12- and 15-year-olds were associated with improved oral hygiene, usage of fluoride toothpaste, and fluoride content in drinking water.