Caries prevalence in different racial groups of schoolchildren in West Malaysia

A dental health survey of 15,197 schoolchildren age 6-18 years was conducted in West Malaysia. The caries experience in the permanent teeth of the three racial groups, namely Malay, Chinese and Indian/Pakistani, showed a distinct variation. The prevalence was highest among the Chinese children, being about twice that of the Malay and Indian/Pakistani children. In the primary dentition, however, the caries experience in the three racial groups was comparable. An analysis of the factors contributing to the racial variation showed that dietary influence was not the only factor responsible. The possibility of a racial variation in caries susceptibility has been postulated. In the primary dentition the similar caries experience observed in the three groups of children was most probably due to the widespread occurrence of rampant caries which would heavily weight the dift score of the children in all three groups. The need to fluoridate the public water supply as an effective preventive measure is emphasized.