Abstract
School-Based oral health measures should be taken based on evaluation of risk factors of oral diseases. Hypothesizing for the analysis of the risk factors of dental caries or periodontal disease requires description of the changes in oral health conditions. Therefore we attempted a descriptive epidemiological study and observed the annual changes in conditions of teeth, gingiva, tooth deposits and orthodontic appliances in primary school children of girls school from 1994 to 2001 on the basis of the data on regular check-ups.
As a result, almost constant decreases were observed in annual rates of children with caries experience in their present teeth as well as in the annual rates of children with decayed teeth. There were few changes over the observation period in the rates of children with gingivitis and in the rates of children with plaque accumulation. The rates of children with dental calculus rose after 1998 and the accumulation were highly restricted to the lingual surface of lower anterior teeth. The annual rates of children who were wearing a fixed or removable orthodontic appliance or space maintainer after 1998 were lower than before 1997. Other factors besides plaque accumulation are considered to be connected to the decline in dental caries. As recent annual rates of school children with dental caries or gingivitis are becoming lower than ever, new comprehensive analyses are thought to be required with regard to the relationship between epidemiological factors and dental diseases.
