Rozier R G, Beck J D
Department of Health Policy and Administration, School of Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
Curr Opin Dent. 1991 Jun;1(3):308-15.
Recent epidemiologic findings for coronal and root surface caries, enamel fluorosis, and the periodontal diseases are reviewed. Incidences of coronal caries in children have continued to decline (at an accelerated rate in some populations) during the 1980s. Two possible reasons other than fluorides for these trends are a change in providers' criteria for treatment of pit and fissure caries and the use of dental sealants. Further declines are anticipated, particularly if benefits resulting from preventive programs can be extended to lower socioeconomic groups. The study of root caries has evolved to include concerns of standardized measurement, documentation of incidence in addition to prevalence, and use of multivariate analyses to identify potential explanatory variables. Evidence supports an increase in the prevalence of enamel fluorosis, generally of the milder forms; use of fluoride supplements and toothpastes at an early age may be risk factors for this condition. The prevalence of severe periodontal disease in the general population is low. Initial assessments of risks for periodontal disease progression have identified a number of potential factors that are related to the diseases in a complex way. Significant analytic advances have been made to aid in risk-factor identification.
本文回顾了近期关于冠龋、根面龋、氟斑牙和牙周疾病的流行病学研究结果。在20世纪80年代，儿童冠龋的发病率持续下降（在一些人群中下降速度加快）。除氟化物外，这些趋势的两个可能原因是医疗服务提供者治疗窝沟龋的标准发生了变化以及使用了牙科密封剂。预计发病率会进一步下降，特别是如果预防项目的益处能够扩展到社会经济地位较低的群体。根龋的研究已经发展到包括标准化测量、发病率和患病率的记录以及使用多变量分析来识别潜在的解释变量等问题。有证据表明氟斑牙的患病率有所上升，一般为较轻的形式；早年使用氟补充剂和牙膏可能是这种情况的风险因素。普通人群中严重牙周疾病的患病率较低。对牙周疾病进展风险的初步评估已经确定了一些以复杂方式与疾病相关的潜在因素。在帮助识别风险因素方面已经取得了重大的分析进展。
