The 1993 national survey of children's dental health: a commentary on the preliminary report.

A preliminary report of the 1993 national survey of children's dental health shows encouraging evidence of a further marked decline in caries throughout the United Kingdom compared with earlier surveys in 1973 and 1983. Over the course of 20 years total decay experience (dmft/DMFT) among children in England and Wales has fallen by 55% in deciduous teeth at 5 years of age, 82% in permanent teeth at 8 years, 75% at 12 years and 74% at 14 years. Whereas in 1973 only 7% of 12-year-old children had no experience of permanent tooth decay (DMFT = 0), by 1993, 50% were caries-free. Nevertheless the marked regional inequalities in dental health of earlier years have been perpetuated with much higher caries levels in Scotland and particularly Northern Ireland than in England currently. It is also apparent that in 5-year-old children the decline in caries in deciduous teeth has now levelled out over many areas of the country. Particular groups of children are still at high risk to the disease and the need in many areas for population preventive strategies such as water fluoridation remains.