Abstract
Since 1979, for 20 years, we have been conducting an oral health examination in preschool children in Kikonai town, Hokkaido, consisting of oral health instruction and topical fluoride application in addition to dental examination. In this study, we analyzed the transition of child dental caries prevalence in Kikonai town between 1979 and 1999. The results obtained were as follows: 1. The caries prevalence rate in children aged 2 to 5 years old slightly decreased over the time period. 2. The caries prevalence rate of severe dental caries in deciduous molars decreased over the period in accordance with the increase of children with fillings. 3. Although the effects of oral health instruction and topical fluoride application in children during the 20 years were not significant, we suggest that, they might contribute to a decline in caries. In the future we would like to extend the program to include dental health instruction for pregnant women and the children's grandparents.
