Caries prevalence amongst schoolchildren in The Hague between 1969 and 1993.

Since a first survey in 1969, juvenile caries prevalence in the second largest city of the Netherlands has attained a European minimum of DMFT = 0.8 in 11.9-year-old children. However, the curves of improvement have been flattening out since the mid-eighties. Incidental variations between 1984 and 1993, especially of caries prevalence in the deciduous teeth of 5- and 7-year-old children, do not indicate a turn to the secular downward trend. The stability of juvenile oral health does not seem to be due to changes in dietary habits, nor to public health measures, but is mainly due to good oral health and use of fluoride dentifrices by the children.