Caries experience and treatment needs of five-year-old caucasian nursery school children in Pretoria.

The caries experience of five-year-old caucasian children at various sites in the world at the present time could be termed moderate to low, and a declining tendency has been noted in the past decade. The aim of this study was to determine the current status and trends of caries experience of 5-year-old caucasian nursery school children in Pretoria. The results from this study, conducted in 1987, showed that 50.9 per cent of 5-year-olds were free of caries experience (dmft = 0) and that the mean dmft was low, viz. 1.97. A comparison of these results with figures published in 1979 indicates that a notable reduction in caries experience has taken place during a period of eight years, the proportion of 5-year-olds free of caries experience having been 40 per cent in 1979, with a mean dmft of 2.9. The most significant change during this period was the decrease in the decayed component of the dmft.