Dental caries prevalence in 5-year-old children in Mallow (a non-fluoridated area), Cork, Ireland

Abstract

Five year old children (295) were examined in Mallow, a non-fluoridated town in North Cork [Ireland] to ascertain the dental status of children commencing 1st level education. The results were compared with those found in Baja, Hungary and in Barnsley, England, UK. The def [decayed-extracted filled] score in Mallow was 5.15 [mean per child] and the Met Need Index, 14%. The dental care program should be reexamined in the light of these findings and more emphasis placed on the prevention and treatment of caries at an earlier age.