Mossey P A, Southwick C A P, Wrieden W L, Longbottom P, Topping G, Stirrups D R
Department of Dental Health, University of Dundee Dental School, Park Place, Dundee DD1 4HR, Scotland, UK.
Br Dent J. 2003 Aug 9;195(3):159-62; discussion 149. doi: 10.1038/sj.bdj.4810406.
The island of Tristan Da Cunha is one of the few examples in the world of a remote enclosed community. The inhabitants of the island were transported to England in 1961 as a result of a volcanic eruption and during their time in England they received a detailed dental health examination. They were later examined back on the island in 1966 by Dr John Fisher and in 1982 a school fluoride supplementation programme was introduced.
The present paper reports the results of the first dental health survey to be carried out on the island since the introduction of a regular school fluoride supplementation programme in 1982.
A cohort of 6-19-year-old subjects on the island were examined in 1996 using a similar protocol to that which was used by Fisher in the 1966 examination.
Comparing the 6-12-year-olds who were caries free in 1966 with those caries free in 1996 using the Chi-squared statistic reveals a statistically significant greater number caries free in the more recent cohort (X2 - 6.0, P- 0.014). For the older age group (13-19 years), a similar comparison reveals a highly statistically significant difference(Z2 - 12.26, P 0.005).
A significant increase in the number of caries free 6-19-year-old children in Tristan Da Cunha between 1966 and 1996 was noted: 1) This is a significant finding in the light of the school fluoride supplementation programme that was introduced on the island in 1982; and 2) Appropriate fluoride supplementation regimes may have conferred a protective effect in a group of children with a cariogenic diet. The paper discusses the significance of this study in the support of fluoridation as a method of reducing the prevalence of dental caries a nd also discusses possibilities for future research on the island of Tristan Da Cunha.
特里斯坦·达库尼亚岛是世界上少数几个偏远封闭社区的例子之一。1961年，由于火山爆发，该岛居民被转移到英国，在英国期间他们接受了详细的牙齿健康检查。1966年，约翰·费舍尔医生在岛上对他们进行了复查，1982年引入了学校氟补充计划。
本文报告了自1982年引入定期学校氟补充计划以来，该岛首次进行的牙齿健康调查结果。
1996年，采用与费舍尔1966年检查时相似的方案，对该岛6至19岁的人群进行了检查。
使用卡方统计量比较1966年无龋齿的6至12岁儿童与1996年无龋齿的儿童，结果显示，最近一组中无龋齿的儿童数量在统计学上显著更多（X2 = 6.0，P = 0.014）。对于年龄较大的组（13至19岁），类似的比较显示出高度统计学显著差异（Z2 = 12.26，P = 0.005）。
注意到1966年至1996年间，特里斯坦·达库尼亚岛6至19岁无龋齿儿童的数量显著增加：1）鉴于1982年在该岛引入了学校氟补充计划，这是一个重要发现；2）适当的氟补充方案可能对一组饮食易致龋的儿童起到了保护作用。本文讨论了这项研究对支持氟化作为降低龋齿患病率方法的意义，还讨论了未来在特里斯坦·达库尼亚岛进行研究的可能性。
