Prevalence and site characteristics of dental caries in primary molar teeth from prehistoric times to the 18th century in England.

A total of 1,974 primary molar teeth from the skeletal remains of 373 children from Prehistoric times to the 18th century were examined for caries prevalence and site characteristics. Results showed that caries in primary teeth was initiated more often at the cemento-enamel junction than the contact point in most time periods and that caries prevalence values recorded were comparable to those in other reports based upon much smaller sample sizes. Caries prevalence and site characteristics for primary molar teeth were found to be similar to those of permanent dentitions of corresponding periods, a finding that contradicts many previous studies. This study showed a higher caries prevalence in primary molars during the Romano-British period than recorded previously.