[A longitudinal study of tooth exfoliation and dental caries in adults in Gucheng village].

ABSTRACT

In order to observe the Age-Related changes in dental health conditions, we selected Gucheng village, a rural area of Beijing as a surveillance place for our longitudinal study. 575 persons in different age groups were examined in 1984 and 507 persons were reexamined in 1989. The rate of reexamination was 86.4%. During the 5-year period, 0.3-1.8 teeth were missing in 20-40 years old groups and 2.8-5.5 teeth were missing in 50-70 years old groups. Beyond 60 years old groups more than 43% original remaining teeth were missing or present as residual roots. More than 10% original healthy teeth were decayed and more than 90% original caries teeth became aggravated in elderly group within 5 years. This study indicates that the incidences of tooth mortality and dental caries are much higher in elders than in young adults.