Abstract
For the evaluation of physical growth in children, percentile curves have been widely accepted as a health index not only by health workers but also by the Maternal and Child Health Handbook for personal use.
In this report, for the application of evaluation by percentile levels to the field of dental health, percentile curves and pecrentage curves of persons with decayed and filled deciduous teeth (df teeth) and missing permanent teeth were determined and their significance was examined.
Percentile and percentage curves of df teeth were estimated from the cumulative frequency distribution of 5670 children aged from 1 year to 6 years and 8 months, surveyed in 1984. The curves of each age stage showed clearly the relative distribution of deciduous carious teeth in this population.
Percentile and percentage curves of missing permanent teeth were also estimated from 11725 subjects aged 10-79 years, reported by the National Survey of Dental Disease (Japan, 1981). The profile of the curves of missing teeth in permanent dentition showed adequatly the present status and the trends of aging in dental health.
These figures will be useful and effective in evaluating the dental health of individuals and communities level for dental health education and guidance.
Further studies are needed to develop the application and utilization of these figures for various aspects of dental health education.
