Distribution and Polarization of Caries in Adolescent Populations

The aim of this study was to determine the proportion of adolescents with severe caries to analyze the prevalence of caries and to visualize the unequal distribution. Data from three epidemiological studies (10- and 15-year-olds: GINIplus and LISA cohorts in Munich, Bavaria; 12-year-olds: LAGZ survey in Bavaria, Germany) with 2875 adolescents were available for analysis. All individuals were examined according to the WHO standard. Statistics included the calculation of mean dmft/DMFT values (standard deviation), Significant Caries Index (SiC) values, Specific Affected Caries Index (SaC) values, and Lorenz curves. Overall caries-free status was 58.6% in primary and 83.9% in secondary teeth (10-year-olds), 61.5% (12-year-olds), and 64.6% (15-year-olds). The proportion of 12- and 15-year-olds with at least four DMFTs was 9.4% and 8.3%, respectively. In addition, eight 15-year-olds with DMFT values ≥8 (0.6%) were registered. The SaC/SiC values amounted to 1.8/0.9 DMFT (10-year-olds), 2.6/2.8 DMFT (12-year-olds), and 2.5/2.5 DMFT (15-year-olds). The mean DMFT values in the upper 1% of subjects were 4.2 DMFT (10-year-olds), 8.5 DMFT (12-year-olds), and 8.5 DMFT (15-year-olds). Thus, caries is not equally distributed throughout adolescence, but individuals with severe caries are rare. Nevertheless, further interdisciplinary research seems to be needed to clarify potential risk factors.