Primary dentition caries trends, 1976-1981, in four South African populations

This paper is a comparison of cross-sectional data on dental caries in the primary dentition undertaken between 1976 and 1981 in the Transvaal Province, South Africa, on 690 rural Black, 1463 urban Black, 870 Indian and 1622 White children aged 2-5 yr. There was a decrease in percentage dental caries prevalence in the urban White children and an increase in the other three groups, the fastest rate being seen among urban Indian children. Similar trends were noted for mean dmft. Dental caries in incisor and canine teeth remained fairly static but caries in molar teeth increased in the groups of Black and Indian children and decreased in the White children. Ratios d/dmft, m/dmft and f/dmft indicated that minimal treatment was received by all the children.