[Long-term study of incidence and occurrence of dental decay among children in Akureyri born in 1976, (11-12 years of age), 1988-89].

The Prevalence and incidence of dental caries was determined for children living in Akureyri, North Iceland, and born in 1976. They were examined when aged 11y and again at 12y. 240 children were examined in 1988 (99.2% of 11-year-olds resident at that time) and 222 children were examined on both occasions (greater than 90% of the total age cohort). The recommended methods of WHO were used for these examinations and no radiographs were taken. No teeth had been extracted because of caries. 22.5% of children aged 11y were caries free and 19.3% of those aged 12y. Mean DFS and DFT scores at 11y were 5.7 and 3.2 respectively and 6.2 and 3.5 at 12y. These figures resemble very closely those obtained for children of the same age examined by the Schools' Dental Service in Reykjavík in the respective years. The prevalence and incidence of caries in these two Icelandic communities is similar despite being quite different with respect to the organization of dental health care. In Akureyri the dental care of children is organized by the private dental practitioners. More than half the increment in caries scores observed in the children at 12y was distributed amon only 9% of the study population (20 subjects). About one quarter of 12-years-old children had 60% of the total caries score. The decline in caries prevalence from levels previously observed in Iceland makes it now likely that the aim of WHO to reduce mean DMFT scores to 3 by 2000 AD in children aged 12y will be achieved in Iceland.