A MEASUREMENT OF DENTAL CARIES PREVALENCE AND TREATMENT SERVICE FOR DECIDUOUS TEETH

¹ Dental Division, State Board of Health, Jefferson City, Mo.

Measurements of the incidence and prevalence of dental caries provide important data for studies of dental practice problems, for research and for public health administration. Several systems have been suggested for determining the occurrence and distribution of dental caries in the population; the one most commonly used is based on the measure of past and present caries experience of permanent teeth (DMF).

A real need exists for a comparable system of measurement of the occurrence of dental caries and of the amount of filling service for deciduous teeth. The impracticability of employing the DMF system for deciduous teeth is discussed. A method for determining the occurrence of dental caries and the percentage distribution of decayed and filled deciduous teeth, which are present in the mouth, is presented. A new term is proposed to designate dental caries experience which can be observed in deciduous teeth.

Data on the prevalence of dental caries and the amount of filling service for both deciduous and permanent teeth is presented and analyzed as an example of its value in planning and appraising a dental health program for children.