Dental caries patterns and the utilisation of dental services among 15-year-old adolescents in the Southern Regional Health Authority region.

Knowledge of utilisation rates in the General Dental Benefit Scheme and caries levels among 15-year-old adolescents is important to study the dental needs of the population for planning and purchasing the necessary services. These data were collected from contracting dentists in the General Dental Benefit (GDB) Scheme in the Southern Regional Health Authority's region. The enrollment rate of 15-year-olds in the Scheme in 1995 was 89.6 percent. In 1996, 76.1 percent had experience of dental caries, and the mean DMF was 3.7 teeth. This study confirms the continued decline of dental caries among adolescents. However, nearly one-third of that group had high caries levels, and this needs further investigation. Despite some limitations, this study's data are useful as they provide the only recent information on this age group in New Zealand.