Dental caries amongst Royal Australian Navy recruits, 1988

A sample of 1100 Royal Australian recruits were examined for dental caries in 1988. Socio-demographic data were also collected. The mean DMFT scores were 4.33, 6.85, and 8.87 teeth for the 15-19 year-olds, 20-24 year-olds, and 25-29 year-olds, respectively. Caries experience varied between the state of origin of recruitment with Victorian and Queensland subjects having the highest DMFT scores, and Tasmanian subjects, the lowest. Comparison with previous military studies indicated not only a decreased dental caries experience, but also that restoration of teeth rather than extraction is a more likely treatment outcome of dental caries in recent recruits.