Caries trends 1996-2002 among 6- and 12-year-old children and erosive wear prevalence among 12-year-old children in The Hague.

In 2002 a dental survey amongst 6- and 12-year-old schoolchildren (n = 832) in The Hague was carried out. The caries findings were compared with findings from earlier studies in The Hague. Caries prevalence (% of caries-free children) and caries experience (mean dmfs scores) among 6-year-old children had not changed significantly in the period 1996-2002. However, a significant increase of caries-free 12-year-old children of low socio-economic status was found in the period 1996-2002. The proportions of caries-free 12-year-old Dutch, Turkish and Moroccan children of low socio-economic status were 88, 69 and 78%, respectively, in 2002. The average DMFT score of 12-year-olds reached a minimum of 0.2. In 2002, 24% of the 12-year-olds exhibited signs of erosion, indicating that the presence of erosive wear was high among youngsters in The Hague.