An epidemiological study of 2, 012 children by oral examination and questionnaire was undertaken to study the dental caries prevalence in one kindergarten and two elementary schools in an urban area and in one kindergarten and two elementary schools in a country area in 1989. The data showed that the dental health status was poor and that living habits and public medical service were unsatisfactory when compared with the results of other dental surveys in Taiwan R.O.C..
In the urban area caries prevalence in deciduous teeth in the kindergarten was 74.2%, and in permanent teeth in the two elementary schools it was 56.3% and 57.1%. In the country area caries prevalence in deciduous teeth in the kindergarten was 95.0% and in permanent teeth in the two elementary schools it was 68.0% and 56.4%, respectively. The dft index was 6.30 in the urban area and 9.00 in the country area, and the DMFT index was 1.87 and 1.58 in the urban area, and 2.02, 1.52 in the country area. The FT rate showed a low restorative treatment rate in both deciduous and permanent teeth. The ft rate was from 1.4% to 6.3% in kindergarteners and FT rate in elementary school children was from 10.5% to 35.6%.
The results of the questionnaire regarding living habits, living environment and medical service were as follows:
1. Subjects who received topicl fluoride application or regular dental examination were few and there was a high percentage of experience of toothache and dental treatment. But because of the deficient public health system, the treatment of dental caries was mostly temporary treatment only, and therefore experience of both toothache and dental treatment were frequent.
2. The answers to the questionnaire showed that the parents know and acknowledge the use of fluoride.
Our dental survey showed that dental caries is increasing in Taiwan and is near the level of Japan. There is no obvious difference in the public dental health situation or the living environment between the regions surveyed, and no definite direction could be observed between caries prevalence and living habits or living environment. The knowledge and acknowledgement of parents concerning fluoride will help to establish a community dental policy and contribute to the developement of school dental health.