Dental caries trends in primary teeth among third-grade children in Harris County, Texas

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess trends in dental caries in the primary dentition of third-grade children in suburban Harris County, Texas. Methods. The study populations for the 2 cross-sectional surveys consisted of 1,584 third-grade children in 1997 and 7,039 in 1998. Trained dentists collected data on decoyed Grid filled tooth surfaces (dfs). Chi-square tests analyzed the differences in proportions of children with and without dental caries experience in 1991 and 1998 by demographic subgroups: (7)gender; (2) ethnicity, and (3) socioeconomic status (SES). Student's t test investigated the differences in mean dfs scores in subgroups. Results., The prevalence of caries decreased significantly from 59%. to 54% between 7991 and 1998 (P=.01). The cones prevalence was lower in 1998 than 7997 in certain subgroups: 1) females, 2) Caucasians; and 3) low SES. The mean dfs score decreased significantly from 4.81 to 3.76, and lower dfs scores were seen in certain demographic subgroups between the 2 studies (P<.05). Children from a low SES had high levels of untreated caries in both studies. Conclusions., Despite a decline in primary teeth caries of study participants, intergroup disparities exist, emphasizing the need for preventive strategies, especially for the low SES children.