[Trends in dental caries prevalence amongst schoolchildren in the Hague. A comparison with the results from a survey in 1996 and previous years].

Starting in 1969, periodic cross-sectional examinations of schoolchildren have been carried out in the city of The Hague (the Netherlands). The results of 1996 show that no further change in caries prevalence has taken place in 5- and 7-year-old Dutch children of low, medium and high SES. In 11-year-old children of medium and high SES a further decrease in caries prevalence could be observed in 1996. Between 1989 and 1996 a significant caries decrease in the deciduous dentition was found amongst 5-year-old children from Turkey and Morocco. No improvement of dental health in 7-year-olds was found. Since 1989 an increase in percentages of caries-free 11-year-olds from Turkey took place whereas this percentage in children from Morocco tended to stabilize (26 and 29% respectively in 1989 and 1996).