Treatment Status of New Patients at Our Pediatric Dental Clinic ― Changes in Treatment Content Over the Past 40 Years ―

Abstract

This pediatric dental clinic opened in Hakodate in July 1982 (Showa 57), and approximately 40 years will have passed. We investigated the changes in the number of visits and the content of dental care at this clinic over that period, and came to the following conclusions.
1. The number of first-visit patients has been decreasing, with a 49.5% decrease in the last 10 years compared to the first 10 years of the clinics operation. The reasons for this decline were suggested to be a decrease in the population of Hakodate City and its surrounding area, the declining birth rate, and a decrease in the number of caries in children.
2. The majority of the patients lived in the urban area of Hakodate City, However the number of patients from the urban area showed a decreasing trend.
3. Caries-related complaints were the most common complaints in all groups. With the passage of time, caries-related complaints decreased, and caries-prevention-related complaints increased accordingly.
4. In terms of treatment, caries severity became milder, the average number of caries teeth treated per patient decreased, and the use of ready-made metal crowns for deciduous teeth decreased in terms of restorations. The changes in caries severity and the number of teeth treated were similar to the rapid decline in dft (Dental terminology: Number of deciduous teeth with caries) seen in the Dental Disease Surveillance Report and the slowing of the decline around 2000.
5. In caries-related prevention, instruction brushing and caries-prevention increased.
It can be inferred from the above that the declining birth rate, decreasing severity of dental caries, and decreasing number of caries teeth in this area have greatly influenced the changes in pediatric dental care at this clinic over the past 40 years.
In the future, we will continue to monitor the changes in the above factors as we provide dental care to our patients.