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JADA Continuing Education

Background. This article focuses on changes in the caries status of adults 18 to 45 years old in the United States during the periods of 1971–1974 (the First National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, or NHANES I) and 1988–1994 (the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, or NHANES III).

Methods. Using data from NHANES I and NHANES III, the authors based this study on analyses of data regarding the trends in total caries, untreated caries and filled caries among adults 18 to 45 years old.

Results. There was a decrease of 27.26 percent in the total number of carious surfaces among adults aged 18 to 45 years, or a decline from 38.30 surfaces in NHANES I to 27.86 surfaces in NHANES III. The number of untreated caries also declined from 3.64 to 1.82, a decrease of 50.0 percent.

Conclusions. These caries improvements may be associated with birth cohort effects. Young adults 18 to 25 years old in NHANES I grew up before widespread fluoridation, while people the same age in NHANES III grew up when fluoridation and preventive dentistry were more widely available.

Practice Implications. The reduction in caries previously demonstrated in children has extended to adults. The impact is a decline in the need for restorative dentistry.

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