December 2007

Objectives To measure the prevalence of dental caries in the Danish adult population and to analyse how the risk of dental caries is affected by age, gender, region, area, and socio-economic factors. Furthermore to assess the impact on dental caries experience of use of oral health services during childhood and adult life. Basic research design and participants A cross-sectional study of a random sample of 1,115 Danish adults in ages 35-44 years and 65-74 years. Data were collected by means of personal interviews and by clinical examinations according to criteria of the World Health Organization. Dental caries was recorded at tooth and tooth surface levels. Results At age 35-44 years the mean caries experience was 46.6 DMF-S against a mean of 104.1 DMF-S in the total sample of 65-74-year-olds. The D-component was low (35-44 years D-S = 0.9; 65-74 years D-S = 1.5). The M-component was three times higher in the elderly than in the younger age group. The multivariate analysis showed that significantly more untreated decay was found among men, in rural areas and in low income groups. A significantly higher score of filled surfaces were found among older adults and in the group with more education (12-13 years) whereas the F-component was low in the low income group. The total DMF-S was significantly higher among the elderly, persons living in Jutland and in groups with less education, while men had low DMF-S compared to women. Conclusion Reducing social inequality in dental caries experience remains a challenge to oral health services in Denmark; strengthening community-oriented oral disease prevention and health promotion is needed to improve the oral health in the Danish adult population. Key words: Clinical-epidemiological assessment, dental caries, dental visiting habits, socio-economic status.