J. Aleksejuniene et al., CARIES PREVALENCE AND ORAL HYGIENE IN LITHUANIAN CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS, Acta Odontologica Scandinavica, 54(1), 1996, pp. 75-80
Contrary to what is observed in many Western societies, the caries pre
valence among children and adolescents in the Baltic States remains hi
gh. The aims of the present study were to describe the caries prevalen
ce and oral hygiene among 7-, 12-, and 15-year-old Lithuanians and to
correlate the caries prevalence with fluoride content in the dr inking
water, oral hygiene, gender, ethnicity, and pattern of sugar consumpt
ion. The investigation was based on cluster samples, and the clinical
investigation was performed in accordance with criteria defined by WHO
. High DMFT values were registered (mean DMFT = 1.3 among 7-year-olds;
DMFT = 4.9 among 12-year-olds and 7.0 among 15-year-olds) and were as
sociated with low fluoride content in the drinking water and poor oral
hygiene. Girls showed higher DMFT values than boys. No correlation be
tween pattern of sugar consumption and caries prevalence could be disc
losed.