[Trends in DMF in children and adolescents from 1990 to 2009. Research in a changing context]

Since 1987, research has very frequently been carried out in the Netherlands on the oral health of children and adolescents, so-called 'TJZ research'. For an analysis of the trends in caries experience DMF in children and adolescents in the Netherlands, the results of the TJZ research from 1990, 1996, 2005 and 2011 were used. The changing social context and the fact that the age groups studied were different in the different years of survey were taken into account. The TJZ surveys were conducted among 8/9, 14/15 and 20/21-year-olds living in Alphen aan den Rijn, Gouda, Breda and's-Hertogenbosch and consisted of a questionnaire and a clinical oral examination. The results revealed that from 1990 to 2009, depending on age, either a decrease or no significant changes were seen in DMF. However, there is still room for further improvement in oral health in children and adolescents. It is up to the public debate to determine what extent of caries experience is acceptable from a public health perspective.