Oral health: international data on 12-year-olds
More international information is collected on 12-year-olds than other age groups. Table 1 shows data from surveys conducted in several countries between 2000 and 2005. Note that the 2005 survey in Great Britain and Scotland was on primary 7 (11-year-old) children.
Table 1: Mean number of decayed, missing and filled teeth per child (DMFT) and the percentage of children 'caries free' in a range of countries, 11/12-year-olds, 2000-2005
| Country | Year | Mean DMFT | % children |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bangladesh | 2000 | 1 | 53.6 |
| Barbados | 2001 | 0.86 | 63 |
| Bulgaria | 2000 | 4.4 | 20 |
| Czech Republic | 2002 | 2.5 | 29 |
| Denmark | 2005 | 0.8 | 63.9 |
| Finland | 2000 | 1.2 | 35 |
| Great Britain | 2005 (11-year-olds) | 0.72 | 67.3 |
| Greece | 2000 | 2.2 | 28 |
| Hong Kong | 2001 | 0.8 | 62.2 |
| Israel | 2002 | 1.66 | 46.1 |
| Lithuania | 2001 | 3.6 | 16 |
| Macau | 2001 | 2.7 | 24.6 |
| Netherlands | 2002 | 0.8 | 68 |
| Norway | 2004 | 1.7 | 40.2 |
| Northern Ireland | 2002 | 1.5 | 46.3 |
| Poland | 2000 | 3.8 | 12 |
| Republic of Ireland | 2002 | 1.1 | 53.5 |
| Republic of Ireland | 2002 | 1.3 | 48.7 |
| SCOTLAND | 2005 (11-year-olds) | 1.29 | 47.1 |
| Sweden | 2005 | 1.0 | 42 |
| Switzerland | 2004 | 0.86 | - |
| Thailand | 2001 | 1.64 | 42.7 |
The mean DMFT ranged from 0.72 in Great Britain (for 11-year-olds) to 4.4 (Bulgaria), with Scotland at 1.29 (for 11-year-olds). Only Bulgaria, Lithuania and Poland had not achieved the WHO goal of a mean DMFT of less than 3 by the year 2000. The percentage of children free from dental caries varied from 12% (Poland) to 68% (the Netherlands), and in most areas (including Scotland), less than 50% of the 11/12-year-olds sampled were free from obvious dental caries. Scotland was worse than Great Britain as a whole for both indicators.
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