Caries experience and oral cleanliness of 3- and 4-year-old children from deprived and non-deprived areas in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Caries experience and oral cleanliness were measured in 1,453 3- and 4-year-old Edinburgh nursery schoolchildren living in areas of multiple urban deprivation and of non-deprivation in the city of Edinburgh. Children with poor oral cleanliness had a mean dmf value of 3.6 teeth compared with 1.6 teeth in those with good oral cleanliness. The greatest relative increases in caries experience were seen in the incisor and canine teeth and upon the occlusal and approximal surfaces. Children living in deprived city areas had a mean dmf value of 3.0 teeth compared with 2.0 teeth in those from non-deprived areas. This difference in caries experience was partially accounted for by the different standards of oral cleanliness found between the deprived and non-deprived areas. In the deprived areas there was a trend towards a high caries experience which was independent of the standard of oral cleanliness. The children were in considerable need of dental care. Only 23 percent of dmf teeth had been either extracted or restored.