Abstract
We have been conducting a dental examination program for children (ages 3-5 years) at four preschools in S Village since 1986. The prevalence of tooth decay among 3-year-olds was 77.1% in 1986, and rose to 77.4% in 1994. Starting in 1996, we began providing dental examinations and fluoride treatment three times a year rather than twice. To examine the effects of this change, we conducted a survey of tooth decay for three years from 2002 to 2004 and compared the results to figures from 1986 and 1994. We also conducted a questionnaire-based survey of lifestyle habits and used odds comparison to rank the items that will require greater attention and education in the future. The results showed that the percentage of children with decayed and filled teeth (df rate) had decreased among all age groups, from 3- to 5-year-olds, in 2003 and 2004 compared to 2002. The df rate was also down from 1986 and 1994, when dental examinations and fluoride treatment were only given twice a year. However, among the 32 children who were 3 years old in 2002 and who were given dental examinations and fluoride treatments in the subsequent three years, the df rate was 53.1%. That rate increased to 68.8% one year later, when the children were 4 years old and to 71.9% again after two years, when the children were 5 years old. The questionnaire-based survey showed that the answers to two questions,“Do you drink a lot of juice or soft drinks?” and“Do you chew a lot of gum or eat a lot of chocolate or caramel?”had a risk rate o f 1% and 5%, respectively, and that these factors correlated to the presence of tooth decay. The odds ratios were 6.07 and 3.52, respectively, indicating that improving dental health at the day care centers located near this school requires concentrated guidance regarding these two components of the eating habits of children, respectively. This shows the necessity for having primary care dentistry for children to prevent tooth decay and shows the importance of promoting community-based oral hygiene instruction.
