Fluoridation 1. Effects on children's caries rates and professionally defined requirements for dental care.

In 1977, after six years of fluoridation in South Australia, 337 six year-olds with continuous fluoride-drinking-water histories had DMFT values 53.2 per cent lower and df values 48.5 per cent lower than base-line values. For five to six year-olds presenting for follow-up care in the School Dental Service in 1977, continuous intake of fluoridated water evidently had reduced: (1) the number of teeth needing restorations by 40.0 per cent; (2) the total care items required by 32.6 per cent; (3) the total time required for care by 37.5 per cent; and (4) the fee-for-service value of care required by 34.3 per cent.

The dental health status of children not included by parents in the South Australian School Dental Programme. A pilot study.

About 90 per cent of children have received school dental care at South Australian schools where this care has been available. However, following recent extension of the dental programme to metropolitan schools without clinics located in their grounds, lower participation rates of about 74 per cent have emerged. A pilot study of 161 children not included in the school dental programme at 13 of these metropolitan schools without clinics was conducted to evaluate their dental health status and determine why they were not enrolled for school dental care.