Caries experience in inner-city preschoolers at the time of their initial dental visit

This retrospective study examined caries experience in a population of inner-city preschoolers at their initial dental visit. Clinical and sociodemographic data for 103 patients aged five years and under at the time of their first dental visit were obtained from the dental records of an inner-city community health center clinic located in a fluoridated area. The sample consisted of fifty-eight males and forty-five females who were seen during a continuous six-month period in 1991. The mean age of the subjects was 44.1 months (S.D. +/- 10.5 months). Sixty-seven percent of the children in the sample were found to have caries. The mean number of decayed surfaces (ds) was 6.54 (+/- 7.16), with the following distribution by surface type: occlusal--2.89 (+/- 3.15); proximal--1.75 (+/- 2.91); buccal/lingual--1.90 (+/- 2.73). Caries prevalence and severity increased with age. Findings from this sample demonstrate that dental caries remains a significant problem in inner-city preschoolers, thereby underscoring the importance of early intervention programs.