Dental caries in Turkish immigrant primary schoolchildren

Dental caries and the utilization of the Public Dental Service in Sweden were investigated in 84 Turkish immigrant children born in Sweden, 69 Turkish children born in Turkey and 85 Swedish age- and sex-matched controls. Dental fear was also studied. The mean age of the children was 8.3 years. Turkish immigrant children had more caries both in the primary and in the permanent teeth than Swedish children. Children born in Turkey had more caries in the primary dentition than those born in Sweden. Turkish children came more often for emergency visits than Swedish children and expressed dental fear more frequently. Turkish immigrant children therefore constitute a high risk group for caries and need supervision early after immigration.