Changing trends in dental caries.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Narrative review of aggregate epidemiological trends without systematic review methodology
PubMed 6376384 · doi:10.1093/ije/13.2.142
What was done
This paper reviews global epidemiological trends in dental caries, comparing rates and contributing factors (including sugar consumption, fluoride toothpaste, water fluoridation, and antibiotic use) between industrialized and underdeveloped countries leading up to 1984.
What was found
Caries rates in industrialized countries dropped by approximately 40% over a 10-year period. By 1982, the average 12-year-old in underdeveloped countries had a higher decayed, missing, and filled (DMF) teeth score than peers in industrialized nations. The rise in caries in underdeveloped nations was linked to increasing sugar consumption (projected to exceed industrialized levels by 1984), while declines in industrialized nations were attributed primarily to fluoride availability (toothpaste and water supplies) and modified sugar consumption patterns.
Why it matters
The paper highlights an early-1980s global shift where the burden of dental caries crossed over from developed to developing countries, supporting public health policies focused on sugar restriction and fluoridation.
Limits
The abstract describes a broad narrative overview without systematic search criteria, quality appraisal of underlying studies, sample sizes, or precise statistical estimates and confidence intervals.
Cited by
- contradicts Childhood cavity rates in Europe are about the same as in the United States despite Europe lacking water fluoridation.