Two Year Longitudinal Study On Caries Progression In Kindergarten Children

Method: A sample of 400 2/3-year-old children from the Kyffhäuser district (Thuringia, Germany) was selected for the baseline examination. 320 children were available for final investigation after two years. (Non-) cavitated carious lesions (nccl) were recorded on all surfaces using World Health Organisation (WHO, 1997) and Universal Visual Scoring System (UniViSS) criteria. The statistical analyses included non-parametric methods and logistic regression with mixed-effects model. Using estimates obtained from the regression analysis, odds ratios (OR) were calculated.

Result: According to the dmf criteria (dmf>0), caries prevalence at the baseline and after 2-years was 16.6% and 27.8%, respectively. After the inclusion of non-cavitated carious lesions, the prevalence amounted to 55.3% and 68.1% (dmf+nccl>0). The mean dmf value (s.d.) increased from 4.3 (8.0) to 5.8 (8.5) in two years, which was mainly due to increased restorations and exactions. However, the non-cavitated carious lesions increased over time from 2.4 (3.8) to 3.9 (6.3). Majority of occlusal (76.3%), proximal (95.2%) and smooth surfaces (94.9%) remained stable. First visible lesions (OR 1.5 in occlusal surfaces) and established lesions (OR 2.9 and 1.9 in proximal and smooth surfaces) had a higher probability to progress.

Conclusion: Distinct carious lesions showed different progression rates. Non-cavitated carious lesions, e.g. first visible lesions in occlusal surfaces and established lesions in proximal and smooth surfaces showed higher progression rates, which underlines the clinical importance of these lesions.