Dental caries experience in schoolchildren in fluoridated and non-fluoridated communities in Western Australia.

A cross-sectional survey was undertaken in 1987 to measure the difference in caries experience in schoolchildren between a fluoridated (0.8 mg/L F-) and a non-fluoridated region (0.1-0.4 mg/L F-). 3436 children aged 5-15 yr were examined. Children in the non-fluoridated region had a higher caries experience than those in the fluoridated region. Mean differences were 1.06 dfs (95% CI = 0.66 to 1.47, P less than 0.001) and 0.48 DFS (95% CI = 0.23 to 0.72, P less than 0.001). After adjusting for potential confounding factors (fluoride tablet consumption, socioeconomic status, number of fissure-sealed surfaces, and mobility between regions) the relative risk of not being caries-free in the non-fluoridated region compared with the fluoridated region was 1.43 (95% CI = 1.21-1.70, P less than 0.0001) for the primary dentition and 1.39 (95% CI = 1.18-1.63, P less than 0.0001) for the permanent dentition.

Incidence of dental trauma in the Western Australian School Dental Service.

A prospective study was undertaken to determine the annual incidence of trauma to the anterior permanent teeth of children enrolled in the Western Australian School Dental Service. The population comprised 66,500 6-12-yr-old children. 1.66 children and 2.05 teeth per 100 children received trauma. Of the children incurring trauma the incidence per 100 erupted teeth was 11.7. 80.5% of children traumatised one tooth only per incident, but 35% of all teeth that were traumatised involved trauma to two or more teeth. 88% of all traumatised teeth were central incisors. Girls received proportionately more trauma to the maxillary dental arch than did boys. Fracture involving both the enamel and the dentine was the most commonly recorded class of trauma (42.7% of cases). There was no obvious pattern to the overall distribution of trauma through the week or the year. Approximately one-third of all traumata occurred at school, one-third at home, and the remainder elsewhere. Trauma to the maxillary dental arch occurred most frequently at home, while trauma to more than one tooth (multiple trauma) occurred most commonly at school. Trauma incidence resulting from falling or being pushed was almost twice as high among girls as among boys. Bicycle accidents caused a higher than average rate of multiple trauma and of pulpal exposure.

Survey of the oral health needs of institutionalised elderly patients in Western Australia.

An epidemiological survey of the oral health needs of 1144 elderly patients was conducted in hospitals and nursing homes in Western Australia. Patients were categorised as being either totally dependent (requiring intensive nursing care) or partially dependent (requiring nursing supervision). Of all patients the mean age was 80.2 yr, 70% were women, 74% were edentulous, and 70% needed some form of prosthetic care. Of all dentate patients 56% needed dental scaling (and 17% needed complex periodontal treatment), 47% needed some restorative treatment (with a mean need per patient of 1.1 coronal restorations and 0.4 radicular restoration), and 29% needed one or more dental extractions (with a mean need of 1.4 extractions per patient). Partially dependent patients had statistically significant higher needs for prosthetic work than did totally dependent patients, while the converse applied to extraction needs, but in all other aspects the needs of the two categories of patient did not differ significantly.