Dental health in a group of Swedish 8-year-olds followed since the age of 3.

A study was made of the dental health of a group of 8-year-old children studied earlier as 3-, 4- and 5-year-olds, including examination of caries, gingivitis and occlusion, as well as certain data on oral habits and fluoride prophylaxis. Caries was found in 92% of the children. The mean DMFS-value was 3.1 and the mean defs-value 8.8. A statistically significant correlation was demonstrated between caries indices at 3 and 8 years of age in the group as a whole. Children with a defs-value higher than the mean defs-value at the age of 3, had a higher mean DMFS-value at the age of 8 than the rest of the group. Sagittal relationships remained largely unchanged between 3 and 8 years of age, while the number of children with an anterior open bite decreased from 51% to 4% during the same time, probably due to a decrease in sucking habits.