An Epidemiological Study on Dental Caries among High-School Students in Athens, Greece

¹ University of Oregon Dental School, Portland, Oregon

An epidemiological study on dental caries was conducted among school children twelve to fourteen years of age in Athens, Greece. The fourteen-year-old children were born during the last year of the second World War in Europe, whereas those thirteen and twelve years of age were born during the first two years following the end of hostilities.

The children of the three age groups showed a marked resistance to caries attack. The older children, however, displayed higher immunity to caries than did the younger ones.

The fluoride content of the public water supply of Athens was not the factor responsible for the high degree of resistance to caries. The amount of sugar consumed after the eruption of the teeth did not seem to have influenced the caries pattern observed among the subjects.

The findings of the study indicate that some nutritional factor operating during the period of tooth development may have been responsible for the marked resistance to caries. Data from previous caries surveys in Athens tend to support this view.

The dental care of the children was found to be grossly neglected, and a measure is proposed for improving this situation.