Oral Examination Factors for Children in the First Grade of Elementary School as Predictors for Future Caries Incidence
1992 Volume 55 Issue 1 Pages 37-53
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1992 Volume 55 Issue 1 Pages 37-53
We attempted to find a method for the identification of children who would be at high risk for caries in the permanent dentition. We devised and examined the validity of a screening test based on the dmft, number of permanent teeth, and DMFT obtained during the child's first year in elementary school. The subjects were 382 children who entered elementary school in 1980, 1981 and 1982. We divided the high caries risk children into six groups having DMFT scores of ≧4, ≧5, ≧6, ≧7, ≧8 and ≧9 when they reached the sixth grade.
The DMFT index for all sixth graders was 4.05±2.65. Either dmft or DMFT in the first grade were good predictors for identifying high caries risk children, who were defined to have a DMFT score of 5 or greater. Combining above mentioned three criteria provided better predictability in identifying the true negative children in the sixth grade.
