Prevalence and distribution by tooth type and surface of developmental defects of dental enamel in a group of 15- to 16-year-old children in South Wales.

In 1984 the prevalence and distribution of developmental defects of dental enamel in 791 children aged 15-16 years was determined using the DDE index. The children were all residents of the county of South Glamorgan, Wales, which has a public water supply containing less than 0.1 mg fluoride/litre. The teeth were dried but not cleaned prior to examination and a dental operating light was used for illumination. Teeth with some type of defective enamel were seen in 50.1 per cent of children. White/single opacities were present in 28.3 per cent of children and white/diffuse, patchy opacities in 10.2 per cent of children. The enamel was abnormal in 5.71 per cent of all teeth with white/single opacities and white/diffuse, patchy opacities occurring in 1.81 per cent and 1.66 per cent of teeth respectively. There were no significant differences between boys and girls in terms of mouth or tooth prevalence of defects. Overall, 7.6 per cent of maxillary teeth were affected compared to 4.3 per cent of mandibular teeth. Most teeth were affected equally on right and left sides of the mouth except for maxillary lateral incisors and canines which had significantly more defects on the right (P less than 0.05 and P less than 0.005 respectively) and maxillary second molars, which had significantly more defects on the left (P less than 0.01). Maxillary central incisors (15.2 per cent) were affected by enamel defects most often followed by maxillary first molars (9.1 per cent) and maxillary lateral incisors and mandibular first molars (both 8.3 per cent).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Factors influencing the caries experience of a group of children at the ages of 11-12 and 15-16 years: results from an ongoing epidemiological survey.

An analysis of factors influencing the caries experience of adolescents in South Wales is presented. Approximately 1000 children were assessed for caries status and oral cleanliness in 1980 when aged 11-12 years and again in 1984 when aged 15-16 years. In addition, on both occasions, the children completed detailed questionnaires on dental health-related topics. When aged 11-12 years, the observed mean DMFT, DMFS and DFS scores of the children were 4.0, 6.7 and 5.5 respectively. The corresponding scores at age 15-16 years were 6.5, 11.8 and 10.2. A preliminary analysis using conventional multiple regression techniques revealed that a number of factors had a significant influence on the caries experience of the children. The significance of the factors depended on the sex of the population subgroup, the age of the children and the particular caries index studied. However, at both ages the factors of most significance were the number of erupted teeth, total mean plaque score and the reported amount of money spent on sweets per week. A further evaluation using analysis of covariance with the number of erupted teeth and surfaces as the covariates confirmed the significant influence of the total mean plaque score and amount of money spent on sweets. In addition, both analyses indicated that toothbrushing frequency and social class had a significant influence on the caries experience of boys.

Distribution of developmental defects of tooth enamel by tooth-type in 11-12-year-old children in South Wales.

The distribution of enamel developmental defects in 759 11-12-yr-old children from South Wales is described. Overall, 8% of maxillary teeth were affected compared to 3.6% of mandibular teeth. Most teeth were affected equally on right and left sides of the mouth except for maxillary lateral incisors, which had significantly more defects on the right (P less than 0.05) and maxillary first molars, which had significantly more defects on the left (P less than 0.025). Maxillary central incisors (18.7%) were affected by enamel defects most often followed by maxillary first molars (8.1%) and maxillary lateral incisors (7.2%). The ranking order of the teeth varied when the prevalence of the different types of defects was assessed. White demarcated opacities were seen most often in maxillary central incisors (10.8%), yellow demarcated opacities in maxillary first molars (1.8%), diffuse opacities in maxillary central incisors (6.6%) and hypoplasias in mandibular first premolars (1.5%). Defects of all types occurred most frequently on the buccal surfaces of the teeth. In premolar and molar teeth more defects occurred on the occlusal surface than on the lingual.

Prevalence of enamel developmental defects in a group of 11- and 12-year-old children in South Wales.

The prevalence of enamel developmental defects was assessed in 579 children aged 11 and 12 yr using the DDE Index. The teeth were dried prior to the examination and a normal dental operating light was used for illumination. Teeth with some type of defective enamel were seen in 48.9% of children. White/single opacities were present in 26.4% of children and white/diffuse, patchy opacities in 9.9% of children. The enamel was abnormal in 5.74% of all teeth with white/single opacities and white/diffuse, patchy opacities occurring in 1.89% and 1.18% of teeth respectively. There was a significantly higher number of teeth affected by enamel defects in boys (P less than 0.01) and boys tended to have a higher prevalence of yellow opacities compared to girls.