Key Points
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Few studies have tracked the oral health of a cohort over time, and none for as long as the Dunedin study or with such a high long-term participation rate in a representative birth cohort.
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Shows how dental caries begins as a childhood disease, but remains important through adolescence and into adulthood.
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Provides hard data to demonstrate the differential susceptibility of the various teeth within the mouth with age.
Abstract
Aim To describe the occurrence of dental caries at the person, tooth and tooth surface level from childhood to early mid-life.
Background No studies have reported on age and caries experience in a population-based sample through the first half of life.
Methods Prospective cohort study of a complete birth cohort (n = 1,037) born in 1972/73 in Dunedin, New Zealand. Dental examinations were conducted at ages 5, 9, 15, 18, 26, 32 and 38, and participation rates remained high. Surface-level caries data were collected at each age (WHO basic methods). Statistical analyses and graphing of data were undertaken using Intercooled Stata Version 10.
Results Data are presented on dental caries experience in the permanent dentition at ages 9, 15, 18, 26, 32 and 38. Percentile curves are charted and reported for person-level caries experience. Data are also presented on the number of decayed teeth and tooth surfaces, (including root surfaces at age 38), as a function of the number of teeth and surfaces present, respectively. Across the cohort, the number of tooth surfaces affected by dental caries increased by approximately 0.8 surfaces per year (on average), while the percentage of at-risk tooth surfaces affected by caries increased by approximately 0.5% per year, with negligible variation in that rate throughout the observation period.
Conclusion These unique data show clearly that dental caries continues as a disease of adulthood, remaining important beyond childhood and adolescence and that rates of dental caries over time remain relatively constant.
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Acknowledgements
We are indebted to previous researchers for collecting the dental data before age 26 and thank study founder, Dr Phil Silva. The Dunedin Study would not be possible but for the ongoing participation of the study members, their families and friends. This work was supported by Grant R01 DE015,26001A1 from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, 20892, USA, and a programme grant from the Health Research Council of New Zealand (previously the Medical Research Council), the New Zealand Department of Education, the New Zealand Department of Health, and the National Children's Health Research Foundation. The Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Research Unit is supported by the Health Research Council of New Zealand. The dental charting animation programme was written by Miss Jessica Todd, while data coding for the animation was completed by Mr Yu-Ting Liu and Mr Kwun Wai Ma.
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Animation of a dental chart showing the participants caries and restorative experience at the tooth and tooth surface level (PPS 4112 kb)
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Broadbent, J., Page, L., Thomson, W. et al. Permanent dentition caries through the first half of life. Br Dent J 215, E12 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bdj.2013.991
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bdj.2013.991
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