TIME TRENDS IN CARIES EXPERIENCE OF 6-YEAR-OLD AND 12-YEAR-OLD CHILDREN OF DIFFERENT SOCIOECONOMIC-STATUS IN THE HAGUE

The caries experience among 6- and 12-year-old children in the The Net herlands from the mid seventies showed a continued decreasing trend. A halt in the decline of caries experience of the primary dentition of 6-year-olds occurred after 1983, whereas among 12-year-old children th e decrease in mean DMFS values continued in the period 1980-1989. The 1996 survey in The Hague showed that the decline in caries in 12-year- old native children of low socioeconomic status (SES) has come to an e nd (average DMFT of 1.1), However, in medium-and high-SES groups, the percentages of caries-free children have continued to rise. Of the med ium-SES 6- and 12-year-old children, 79 and 89% were caries-free, resp ectively; in the high-SES children the respective figures were 84 and 86%. A DMFT of 0.3 in 12-year-olds of medium and high SES was found, t he general value was 0.7 and 74% with zero caries experience.