Susceptibility of tooth surfaces to carious attack in young adults

This paper reports on the pattern of carious attack, prior to and after enlistment, experienced by a cohort of 291 Royal Air Force recruits first inspected in 1988 and observed again in 1992. On enlistment the recruits had suffered more occlusal than approximal caries. Over the next five years approximal caries occurred more often than occlusal caries in premolars, its incidence was the same as that of occlusal caries in first molars but less than for occlusal caries in second molars. On enlistment, 88 per cent of the occlusal surfaces of first molars and 56 per cent of second molars were already missing, filled or carious. One in 10 sound molars succumbed to occlusal caries during the study although only 1 in 120 premolars did likewise. It was concluded that the incidence of occlusal caries in this age group justifies placing or repairing fissure sealants in molar teeth.