Dental caries prevalence and the use of fluorides in different European countries

Data in a WHO report relating caries prevalence and the use of fluorides in different European countries were compared with data obtained directly from investigators in the field of oral epidemiology. The reliability of DMFT indices of 12-year-old children, mentioned in the WHO report, appeared sufficient to make comparisons between countries on the basis of these data. The WHO data files on the different applications of fluoride were incomplete. When figures were present, they were not always in agreement with those from the investigators. A decrease of the DMFT indices could be shown in a large number of countries. In further comparative studies between European countries, cultural differences (in dietary habits, for instance) should be taken into account.