[Dental caries in children from ethnic groups in the Netherlands. A literature review].

This article reviews the literature on child dental caries in various ethnic groups in the Netherlands. Material from fifteen studies showed generally the dental health of five- to eleven-year-old children of parents born in Turkey or Morocco to be far worse than that of children of Dutch or Surinamese parents. The ethnic groups distinguished, however, turned out not to be homogeneous with regard to dental health. Within each ethnic group the socio-economic status as well as the parental level of fluency in the Dutch language were important additional risk indicators for caries. Regular toothbrushing seemed to be the most important factor to diminish the caries risk.