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Caries incidence and increments in older South Australians.

Objectives: To quantify coronal and root caries incidence and increments in a random sample of dentate community-living older adults from the South Australian Dental Longitudinal Study (SADLS).

Methods: Data was analysed from a longitudinal study in urban (Adelaide) and rural (Mt Gambier) South Australia between baseline, and 5-year and 11-year follow-ups.

Results: At baseline 913 dentate participants were examined and interviewed; at 5-years there were 528 dentate participants, and 360 of these participated at 11-years (Adelaide=205; Mt Gambier=155). The majority of non-participants had deceased. Participants were aged 60+ at baseline and 71+ years at 11-years. Mean age at 11-years was 79.3 years, and age did not differ by urban vs rural location. Mean number teeth present (not including retained roots) at 5 years was 15.8 teeth and at 11 years was 14.7 teeth (no sig. difference by urban vs rural location). Mean number of retained roots at 5-years was 0.05 for Mt Gambier and 0.13 for Adelaide; at 11-years was 0.2 for Mt Gambier and 0.25 for Adelaide (p<0.05). Baseline to 5-year coronal caries incidence was 66.9% and the 5-11-year coronal caries incidence was 81.4%. Baseline to 5-year root caries incidence was 59.3% and 5-11-year root caries incidence was 50.8%. Between 5-11 years, 36.8% of participants had 5+ adjusted caries increments (ACI) on coronal surfaces, and 5.6% had 5+ ACI on root surfaces. Baseline to 5-year ACI were 2.65 coronal surfaces and 2.21 root surfaces; 5-11-year ACI were 3.76 (SE=0.21) coronal and 1.10 (SE=0.09) root surfaces. Between 5-11 years, Adelaide participants had significantly higher ACI on root surfaces (Adelaide =1.32 (SE=0.13); Mt Gambier =0.81 (SE=0.12) (p<0.05).

Conclusion: Over this 11-year follow-up period, coronal and root caries progressed in these dentate rural and urban older adults. Supported by ARCPOH, National Health and Medical Research Council and NIH R01-DE09588.

J Chalmers*, KD Carter, AJ Spencer, K Roberts-Thomson, WM Thomson


Presented at the 84th General Session and Exhibition of the IADR, 28 June – 1 July 2006, Brisbane Australia

Note: * indicates presenter

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