Abstract
It is well known that dental caries is the disease of the highest morbidity among all kind of diseases also in Japan. As an epidemiologic approach to the etiology of dental caries, which is remaining unsolved, correlation coefficients are calculated between the dental caries prevalence rate in school children and some biological and social factors, especially the consumption of selected foods, by 46 prefectures. The results follow:
1. Positive correlations between the dental caries prevalence rates in elementary school children and junior secondary school pupils in 1957 and that in 1961, are significant at the 0.1% level both in boys and girls. Positive correlations between dental caries prevalence rates in 1936/1937 and that in 1957/1961 are significant at the 1% level both in boys and girls.
2. Among correlations between the dental caries prevalence rate and blood type distribution, negative correlation with the proportion of blood type A is significant at the 0.1% level in the elementary school children.
3. Positive correlation between the prevalence rate in the junior secondary school pupils and the age specific death rate for cancer of stomach is significant at the 5% level.
4. Positive correlations for the prevalence rate in elementary school children are significant with the consumption of cakes and candies at the 0.1% level, with processed food and bread at the 1% level, with fruits, milk and dried and salted fish at the 5% level. Positive correlations for the prevalence rate in junior secondary school pupils are significant with the consumption of cakes and candies and processed food at the 0.1% level, with milk and dried and salted fish at the 1% level, with bread at the 5% level.
