“The rise and fall” of dental caries: some global aspects of dental caries epidemiology

Abstract

The purpose of this paper was to review some global aspects of dental caries epidemiology. Existing data show that caries activity has increased, often rapidly, in developing countries in recent years while marked reductions have occurred in some industrialized countries during the last 10-15 years. Changes in the prevalence of a multifactorial disease like dental caries arc difficult to explain but the obvious ones seem to coincide either with increased intake of refined sugar-containing products or with increased use of fluorides. Furthermore it would appear that restorative treatment alone has little impact on caries activity when viewed in a life long perspective. Experience, the existing geographic distribution of oral health problems and resources to cope with them suggest an urgent need for co-operation in dental eduction and research between developing and industrialized countries to develop acceptable cost-elective preventive programs in countries where caries activity is high or increasing rapidly.