Department of Oral Sciences, Sir John Walsh Research Institute, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.
J Dent Res. 2010 Mar;89(3):307-11. doi: 10.1177/0022034509356779. Epub 2010 Jan 21.
To date, the evidence supporting the benefits of dental visiting comes from cross-sectional studies. We investigated whether long-term routine dental visiting was associated with lower experience of dental caries and missing teeth, and better self-rated oral health, by age 32. A prospective cohort study in New Zealand examined 932 participants' use of dentistry at ages 15, 18, 26, and 32. At each age, routine attenders (RAs) were identified as those who (a) usually visited for a check-up, and (b) had made a dental visit during the previous 12 months. Routine attending prevalence fell from 82% at age 15 to 28% by 32. At any given age, routine attenders had better-than-average oral health, fewer had teeth missing due to caries, and they had lower mean DS and DMFS scores. By age 32, routine attenders had better self-reported oral health and less tooth loss and caries. The longer routine attendance was maintained, the stronger the effect. Routine dental attendance is associated with better oral health.
迄今为止，支持定期看牙医益处的证据来自于横断面研究。我们通过研究新西兰的一项前瞻性队列研究，调查了长期定期看牙医是否与较低的龋齿和缺牙经历以及更好的自我报告的口腔健康相关，该研究随访至参与者 32 岁。该研究在参与者 15、18、26 和 32 岁时，分别检查了 932 名参与者的牙科使用情况。在每个年龄，常规就诊者（RAs）被定义为那些（a）通常进行检查，和（b）在过去 12 个月内进行过牙科就诊的人。常规就诊者的比例从 15 岁时的 82%下降到 32 岁时的 28%。在任何给定的年龄，常规就诊者的口腔健康状况都优于平均水平，因龋齿而缺牙的人数较少，且他们的平均 DS 和 DMFS 评分较低。到 32 岁时，常规就诊者的自我报告口腔健康状况更好，牙齿缺失和龋齿也更少。常规就诊时间越长，效果越强。定期看牙医与更好的口腔健康相关。
