Changes in caries prevalence in Chemnitz (Germany), 1959-1999 related to access to fluoride and sugar consumption

Aim The intention of the present study, conducted in Chemnitz in 1999, was to compare the current caries trend with the previous ‘fall-rise-fall’ pattern of caries prevalence following the implementation of water fluoridation in 1959 and an interruption, which lasted 22 months around the year 1971, and a cessation in 1990. Methods A cross-sectional study design was used. Only children aged 6 to 15 years old over a period from 1959 to 1999 using FDI standards, living in Chemnitz (Germany) were examined for dental caries. In all, some 224,243 children were examined. Results The statistical results are based on data from 6to 15-year-old boys and girls, examined between 1959 and 1995 (n = 219,594), and on analogous findings in the year 1999 (n = 4,649). There were two trends when comparing the 1995 and 1999 results. In the age group 6 to 10 the DMFT remained stable at the low levels achieved in 1995 (0.43 to 0.40 DMFT).Whereas, in the age group 11 to 15, the DMFT decreased from 2.54 to 1.61, an epidemiological change which was associated with an increasing number of caries-free children, e. g. for the 12-year-olds, from 38.0% to 53.3%. Conclusion This unexpected caries decrease after 1990 was thought, on the one hand, to be due to improvements in attitudes towards oral health behaviour and, on the other hand, to the broader availability and application of preventive measures (Rickets prevention with Vitamin D3/NaFcombinations, F-salt, F-toothpastes, fissure sealants etc.).