Dental Caries Prevalence of 18-Year-Old Polish Adolescents from Gdansk Region

Objectives: The aim of the study was to asses and compare the prevalence of dental caries and treatment needs of 18-years-old young people from different environment areas of Gdansk region in Northern Poland. The need for information on oral health status has increased, because of the health care system transformation in Poland. Methods: The study was carried out in 1995 and 2003 by the same calibrated dental examiner (K.E-P) after a pre-survey training. The samples in the first study in 1995 were selected using a three-stage random sampling procedure. The second study in 2003 was carried out in the same living areas and at the same schools. Data were collected according to the WHO oral health assessment form. The sample consisted of 184 individuals in 1995 and 180 in 2003 from rural, small town and big city areas. Results: The overall percentage of caries free adolescents was very low and did not change significantly (3,26% in 1995 and 6,11% in 2003). The results showed a decrease in mean DMFT score from 7,74 to 6,67 respectively in 1995 and in 2003. Living area differences in caries prevalence was clearly observed. The lowest mean DMFT score was observed in big city, ranged from 6,74 in 1995 to 5,65 in 2003 and the highest in small town ranged from 8,27 in 1995 to 7,73 in 2003. In both years the FT-component was low in samples from rural areas. The DT-component was significantly higher in data from rural area and the FT-component in data from big city. Conclusion: There was observed favorable change in caries prevalence of 18-years-olds, but during 8 years period the change of mean DMFT score should have been more significant.