A Survey of Dental Caries and Periodontal Disease Prevalence in the Students of Kyushu Dental College and School of Dental Hygiene

In May 1987, a survey was carried out to determine the prevalence of dental caries and periodontal disease in 768 of the 805 (95.4%) students of Kyushu Dental College and the School of Dental Hygiene. The aim of this survey was to grasp the changes in dental diseases between college students in 1967 and those in 1987, and to determine their recognition for the prevention of dental diseases. The mean number of DMF teeth and the percentage of decayed teeth per DMF tooth were lower in the students than in the general Japanese population. The mean number of DMF teeth, however, was twice as many in the present students as in the students of 20 years ago. The mean number of DMF teeth was 8.99 in the 1st-year students and gradually increased with the year, reaching 11.31 in the 6th-year students. The percentage of decayed teeth per DMF tooth increased with the year and reached a maximum percentage (14.0%) in the 3rd-year students. Conversely, the percentage decreased with the year from the 4th-to 6th-year, and reached a minimum percentage (3.2%) in the 6th-year students. While the percentage of students showing some signs of periodontal disease was similar between the 1st- and 5th-year students, the percentage was also similar between these groups and the other populations. However, the 6th-year students of the college and the students of the school of dental hygiene had healthy periodontal status. These findings revealed that the college students' recognition for periodontal disease prevention differed from dental caries prevention and was lacking until they were promoted to the 6th-year.