Abstract
BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to analyse the prevalence and severity of dental caries among Korean children aged 8 and 12 years over a period of 12 years by determining the number of decayed, missing, and filled teeth (DMFT) and the Significant Caries index (SiC index). METHODS: Stratified cluster-sampled data from the National Oral Health Survey conducted from 2000 to 2012 were analysed. In 2000, 2006, and 2012, a total of 2397, 2650, and 9601 children aged 8 and 12 years were examined, respectively. The children's oral health status, including the number of DMFT and fissures sealed teeth, was examined and recorded. The SiC index was calculated according to the child's residential district. RESULTS: Over the 12-year period, the percentages of caries-free children aged 8 and 12 years increased from 26.0 to 42.7 % and from 53.4 to 69.6 %, respectively. The percentages of children aged 8 and 12 years with sealed teeth in 2012 were 62.1 and 62.5 %, respectively, more than triple the rates in 2000. The mean DMFT values of children aged 8 and 12 years decreased from1.04 to 0.67 and from 2.86 to 1.84, respectively. The SiC index of children aged 8 and 12 years also decreased from 2.73 to 1.97 and from 6.13 to 4.51, respectively. The rate of reduction in DMFT among 8- and 12-year-old children in the second 6 years of the observation period was lower than that in the first 6 years. CONCLUSIONS: A remarkable decline in dental caries of 8- and 12-year-old Korean children was observed over the 12-year study period. The mean DMFT values and SiC index of children aged 8 and 12 years decreased. The reduction rate between 2000 and 2006 was higher than that between 2006 and 2012.