The Dental Caries Prevalence among Children of Day-Nursery and Kindergarten in Kohriyama City

This study was carried out in order to survey the status of the Prevalence of dental caries among the deciduous teeth of day-nursery-children (254 boys and 252 girls ranging from 1 to 6 years of age) and kindergarten-children (207 boys and 201 girls ranging from 4 to 6 years of age) in Kohriyama city, Fukushima prefecture where Tohoku Dental University is located. The df was used as the dental caries experience index, and the caries attack patterns were investigated according to the classification of The Ministry of Public Welfare used for dental inspection of 3-year-old Japanese children. The results were as follows: 1. Day-nursery- and kindergarten-children revealed a higher prevalence of dental caries with advancing age. 2. In all age groups from 4 to 6 years the kindergarten-children showed a higher caries prevalence than the day-nursery-children. 3. Day-nursery- and kindergarten-children grew better in the status of the dental caries treatment with advancing age. The kindergarten-children showed better status of the caries treatment. 4. Maxillary central incisors in the deciduous dentition showed the highest caries prevalence rate in 2-year-old children, and mandibular first or second molars showed the highest caries prevalence rate in children over 3 years of age. Mandibular incisors showed the lowest, and a somewhat higer in children oves 4 years of age. 5. Frequencies of the caries-attack-pattern-A1 group which had caries lesions only in maxillary and/or mandibular molars showed little change in all age groups, and frequencies of the pattern-A2 group which had caries lesions only in the maxillary anteriors showed a decrease with advancing age. The frequencies of the pattern-B group which were combinations with A1 and A2, and the ones of C group which involved also mandibular anteriors showed a tendency to increase with advancing age.