[Caries incidence and oral hygiene level in young school children in Gottingen]

669 school beginners and 739 fourth-year pupils in Göttingen were examined for caries prevalence and dental hygienic measures. 28% of first-year pupils examined had naturally healthy primary teeth; the average DFS was 6.8. Only 12% of the carious primary tooth surfaces had intact fillings. Carious defects in permanent teeth were restricted to sixth-year molars. Among the fourth-year pupils 26.8% had no caries on their permanent teeth; the average DMFS was 3.9. In this age group 60% of the carious tooth surfaces had been treated and the M components observed were minimal. A total of only 16 sixth-year molars were missing because of caries in all the children examined. A comparison of prevalence rates among different schools revealed considerable differences: Average DMFS values at the various schools ranged from 2.0 to 5.5.