Dental caries and restorations in teenargers. II. A longitudinal radiographic study of the caries increment of proximal surfaces among urban teenagers in Sweden.

Within a group of 16 year old school children leaving the regular school dental care, the number of carious lesions and fillings in proximal tooth surfaces was radiographically studied, using an index system. Three years later, the same individuals were re-examined. The results showed that intact surfaces and surfaces with small carious lesions were more resistant to change than others. A minority of the individuals was found to be responsible for a majority of the lesions established during the three year interval. Generally, the progress of caries was slow.