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The purpose of this study was to describe oral hygiene factors in infants and toddlers living in Sweden with special reference to caries prevalence at 2 and 3 yr of age and to immigrant status. The study was designed as a prospective, longitudinal study starting with 671 children aged 1 yr. At 3 yr, all the children were invited to a further examination. A total of 298 children, randomly selected from the original group, were also examined at 2 yr. The accompanying parent was interviewed about the child's oral health habits. Children who were free of caries at 3 yr had had their teeth brushed more frequently at 1 and 2 yr of age, had used fluoride (F)-toothpaste more often at 2 yr of age, and had a lower prevalence of visible plaque at 1 and 2 yr of age than children with caries. Immigrant children had had their teeth brushed less frequently, had used less F-toothpaste, and had a higher prevalence of visible plaque at 1 yr of age than nonimmigrant children. Early establishment of good oral hygiene habits and regular use of F-toothpaste seem to be important for achieving good oral health in pre-schoolchildren.

An interdisciplinary strategy based on a theoretical model for studying dental health was used to analyze the relevance of social and behavioral factors in the evaluation of dental health care for school children. The study comprised pupils who, after a total period of 5 years, differed in their experience with preventive regimens applying different principles of dental prevention. In 1979-80 social and behavioral data were collected by means of a postal questionnaire from altogether 234 pupils, aged 15-16 years, from two school areas. Clinical data, comprising scores for prevalence of plaque, gingivitis, and caries, were available from examinations in 1974, 1978, and 1979. The analysis of factors influencing the subjects' oral status demonstrated that material factors--the parents' education and employment, type of housing, and line of education--and physical factors--sex and prevalence of plaque, gingivitis, and caries at base line--all were of significance for the results obtained. No significant influence of home care climate (social/political factors), dental knowledge and attitudes, general foresightedness or carelessness (mental factors), or tooth-cleaning and sweet-eating habits (action factors) was found. Social and behavioral factors of significance exerted their influence regardless of the type and scope of the dental health care provided. Gingival health was far more a consequence of the professional tooth-cleaning regimen than dependent on the social and behavioral factors tested. No superior effect on caries status was demonstrated for any of the preventive regimens tested.

The purpose of the investigation was to estimate the relative effect of fluoride on caries in a preventive program based on meticulous plaque control. The material consisted of 82 children; 41 in the test and 41 in the control group. At the start of the study the children were 13-14 years of age. In August 1973 an examination was performed to obtain baseline data for the trial. Prophylactic treatment was given to the children once every second week. A total of 18 treatments were given during a 10-month period. In the control group an abrasive paste was used containing 5% sodium monofluorophosphate (Jodka Fluor Polerpasta). In the test group an abrasive paste was used which was identical with the control paste except that it did not contain any fluoride components. Twelve months after the baseline examination the test and control groups were reexamined. The trial demonstrated that, in children, fortnightly professional cleaning of the teeth combined with meticulous toothbrushing instructions result in (1) a high standard of oral hygiene and (2) only very few new carious surfaces. Though the control group children received fortnightly topical application of F- during the prophylactic sessions and used a fluoridated dentifrice, there was no significant difference between the two groups regarding number of new carious tooth surfaces per child per year.

The effect of a field program, based on systematic plaque control, on caries and gingivitis was tested during a 3-year period on 1,100 schoolchildren. Once every 3rd week the children were given oral hygiene instructions, professional toothcleaning and fluorides topically delivered by specially trained dental nurses. The children of a control group of approximately the same number of pupils, participated in a preventive program consisting of mouthrinsings once every 2nd week with a 0.2% sodium fluoride solution. The children of the third and fourth grades were, at the start of the experiment, selected as reference groups and then continuously examined once every year. At the end of the trial the mean reduction of surfaces haboring plaque and units with gingival inflammation was 59% and 73%, respectively. The reduction in caries increment was 51%.