Overweight and obese adolescents had more approximal caries than normal-weight individuals. Moreover, the frequent consumption of snacking products during early childhood appears to be a risk indicator for caries at 15 years. Future preventive programmes should therefore include, on a multidisciplinary level, strategies to prevent and reduce both obesity and dental caries at an early age.

The aims of this study were 1) to investigate whether oral hygiene and dietary habits established at 1 year of age are maintained at 2 years of age and 2) to analyze caries-related factors with regard to oral health between the age of 1 and 3 years by using the salutogenic theory-that is, focusing on behavioral factors that do not result in impairment of health. Altogether 289 children were examined at 1, 2, and 3 years of age, and their parents were interviewed about the children's oral hygiene and dietary habits at 1 and 2 years of age. The result shows that caries-related habits, such as oral hygiene and dietary habits, established during infancy are maintained throughout early childhood. The principles of the salutogenic theory were found to be applicable when studying caries-related habits and oral health. Thus, if a dietary risk behavior is established at 1 year of age, the chance of remaining caries-free until 3 years of age is highest if good oral hygiene habits, including the use of fluoride toothpaste, are present at 2 years of age. We therefore conclude that comprehensive knowledge of a child's future dental health can be obtained by using chairside information-that is, interview of the parents and clinical examination of the children.

The aim of the present case-control study was to investigate dental caries, various caries-related factors as well as gingival condition, in 12- to 16-year-olds with long-term asthma (n = 20) and a matched healthy control group (n = 20). Data on dietary and oral hygiene habits, numbers of mutans streptococci and lactobacilli in saliva were also obtained. The plaque pH drop after a sucrose rinse was measured up to 40 min at 2 approximal tooth sites. A lower salivary flow rate was found in the asthma group compared to the control group (p < 0.05). The mean (± SD) of DFS, including manifest and initial caries, was 4.9 ± 5.5 in the asthma and 1.4 ± 2.3 (p < 0.01) in the control group. Only 1 adolescent in the asthma group was caries free compared to 13 in the control group. Concerning pH in plaque, adolescents with asthma had a lower initial value (p < 0.01) and final pH (p < 0.05) than the control group. The Cariogram data showed that 55% of the subjects in the control group had ‘a high chance of avoiding caries’ compared to 10% in the asthma group (p < 0.01). The asthmatic adolescents had higher numbers of sites with gingival bleeding (p < 0.01). To conclude, adolescents with long-term asthma had a higher total DFS and caries risk (according to Cariogram), decreased salivary rate, more gingival bleeding and lower plaque pH than adolescents without asthma.

Objectives. The aim of the present investigation was to study oral health in young adults with long-term, controlled asthma. Material and methods. Twenty 18-to 24-year-olds with a mean duration (SD) of asthma disease of 13.5 (5.4) years and 20 matched healthy controls were included. A clinical examination was performed and the prevalence of caries, erosions, gingival inflammation, cervicular fluid, periodontal pockets and plaque formation rate, were registered. The salivary flow rate, numbers of mutans streptococci and lactobacilli in saliva were determined. Plaque pH was measured after a sucrose rinse up to 40 min at two approximal sites. The participants were interviewed regarding dietary and oral hygiene habits. Results. The mean (SD) DFS, including manifest and initial caries, was 8.6 (10.6) in the asthma group and 4.0 (5.2) in the control group (p = 0.09). Initial caries lesions were more common in the asthma group than in the control group, 6.0 (8.1) and 1.3 (2.0 (p = 0.02). The asthma group had more gingivitis (p = 0.01) and lower stimulated salivary rate than the controls (p = 0.01). The asthmatics had also a somewhat, but not statistically significant, lower initial pH value in plaque and more pronounced pH drop compared with the controls. In the asthma group, 65% reported frequent mouthbreathing compared with 10% in the controls (p = 0.01). No differences were found in tooth-brushing and dietary habits between the groups. Conclusions. Young adults with long-term, controlled asthma had more initial caries, more gingival inflammation and lower stimulated salivary secretion rate than individuals without asthma.

The aim of the present investigation was to study the prevalence of approximal caries lesions and fillings in posterior teeth at 15 years of age in a prospectively followed Swedish population (n = 568), with special reference to their caries experience at the age of 3 years. Only approximal surfaces were recorded, since all children in the Community of Jönköping have had fissure sealing performed on all caries-free permanent molars. At 15 years of age, the mean number of approximal tooth surfaces with initial caries lesions (D_ia), manifest caries lesions and fillings (D_mFa) and total caries experience and fillings (D_{i + m}Fa) – recorded on bitewing radiographs – was 2.78 , 0.45 and 3.23, respectively. One third of the adolescents had no approximal caries or fillings; the D_ia constituted 86% of the D_{i + m}Fa. Children with manifest caries at 3 years of age had a higher risk of developing approximal caries in their permanent teeth than caries-free children at the same age (41 vs. 17%). Furthermore, children who were caries-free at 3 years of age were more likely to remain caries-free at 15 years of age compared to children with manifest caries (37 vs. 17%). All these differences were statistically significant (p < 0.001). Additionally, early childhood caries experience (developed before 3 years of age) had a greater predictive value than late childhood caries experience (developed between 3 and 6 years of age) concerning approximal caries at 15 years of age.