Abstract
Aim: To explore whether time (tooth present in mouth) is a determinant of caries experience.
Background: No studies have investigated the association of age and caries experience through the life-course (birth to age 38)
Methods: Prospective cohort study of a complete birth cohort (N = 1037) born in 1972/73 in Dunedin, New Zealand. Dental examinations were conducted at ages 5, 9, 15, 18, 26, 32 and 38. Surface-level caries data were collected at each age (WHO basic methods). Only those teeth which had been lost because of caries are included in estimations of tooth loss due to caries and in the 'M' component of DMF scores. 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 5, 9, 15, 18, 26, 32, and 38. Percentile curves are charted and reported for caries experience at the mouth level. 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). At the population level, the number of tooth surfaces affected by dental caries increased by approximately 0.8 surfaces per year, while the percentage of tooth surfaces at risk affected by caries increased by approximately 0.5% per year, with negligible variation in the rate of increase throughout the observation period.
Conclusion: There is a strong positive association between age and caries experience. Time since eruption is a predictor of caries. The caries rate through life is relatively constant.