Community Dental Health

cover art

Cover Date:
March 2009
Print ISSN:
0265 539X
Vol:
26
Issue:
1

Predictive tool for estimating the potential effect of water fluoridation on dental caries

Objective To provide a tool for public health planners to estimate the potential improvement in dental caries in children that might be expected in a region if its water supply were to be fluoridated. Basic Research Design Recent BASCD (British Association for the Study of Community Dentistry) dental epidemiological data for caries in 5- and 11-year-old children in English primary care trusts in fluoridated and non-fluoridated areas were analysed to estimate absolute and relative improvement in dmft/DMFT and caries-free measures observed in England. Where data were sufficient for testing significance this analysis included the effect of different levels of deprivation. Results A table of observed improvements was produced, together with an example of how that table can be used as a tool for estimating the expected improvement in caries in any specific region of England. Observed absolute improvements and 95% confidence intervals were: for 5-year-olds reduction in mean dmft 0.56 (0.38, 0.74) for IMD 12, 0.73 (0.60, 0.85) for IMD 20, and 0.94 (0.76, 1.12) for IMD 30, with 12% (9%, 14%) more children free of caries; for 11-year-olds reduction in mean DMFT 0.12 (0.04, 0.20) for IMD 12, 0.19 (0.13, 0.26) for IMD 20, 0.29 (0.18, 0.40) and for IMD 30, with 8% (5%, 11%) more children free from caries. Conclusions The BASCD data taken together with a deprivation measure are capable of yielding an age-specific, ‘intention to treat’ model of water fluoridation that can be used to estimate the potential effect on caries levels of a notional new fluoridation scheme in an English region.

Key words: Caries prediction, dental caries, deprivation, predictive tool, water fluoridation.

Article Price
£15.00
Institution Article Price
£
Page Start
5
Page End
11
Authors
G.R.K. Foster, M.C. Downer, M. Lunt, V. Aggarwal, M. Tickle

Articles from this issue

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  1. Editorial - Closing the gap in a generation: Health equity through action on the social determinants of health. A Report of the WHO Commission on Social Determinants of Health (CSDH) 2008.
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  1. Referees 2009
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  3. 4

  1. Predictive tool for estimating the potential effect of water fluoridation on dental caries
  2. 5
  3. 11

  1. Dental caries prevalence and distribution among preschoolers in Singapore
  2. 12
  3. 17

  1. Oral health in German children, adolescents, adults and senior citizens in 2005
  2. 18
  3. 22

  1. Caries prevalence and fluoride use in low SES children in Clermont-Ferrand (France)
  2. 23
  3. 28

  1. Previous radiographic experience of children referred for dental extractions under general anaesthesia in the UK.
  2. 29
  3. 31

  1. The prevalence of dental caries and fissure sealants in 12 year old children by disadvantaged status in Dublin (Ireland).
  2. 32
  3. 37

  1. Childhood growth and dental caries
  2. 38
  3. 42

  1. Measurement of attitudes of UK dental practitioners to core job constructs.
  2. 43
  3. 51

  1. Dental general anaesthesia - will the service disappear? A pilot study
  2. 52
  3. 57

  1. Orthodontic treatment need and oral health-related quality among children
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  3. 61

  1. Short Communication - Changing dental caries levels in the 1980’s, 1990’s and 2005 among children of a Jerusalem region.
  2. 62
  3. 64