First-molar caries experience among Taiwanese first-grade children.

Evidence suggests that dental caries levels may have risen dramatically among Taiwanese children during the past twenty years. Accurate and consistent methods of assessing the dental caries in Taiwanese children, however, have not been widely employed. This project assessed, in detail, the caries status of 333 first grade children attending four schools in Taiwan. Mean DMFS and DMFT computed solely from first-molar data for these children were 1.46 and 1.19, respectively. Mean DMFS for females was 1.57, while for males it was 1.35. Overall, 48 percent of the children were caries-free in their permanent first molars. Nearly 90 percent of DMF was "decayed," while the remainder was "filled." Children from families in lower socioeconomic status (SES) categories had significantly higher mean DMFS than did higher SES children. Results suggest that caries prevention and dental treatment programs should be developed or enhanced to reduce the caries problem among Taiwanese children, particularly those at high risk.