Global Trends in Incidence and Prevalence of Dental Caries: A Review

Abstract

Dental caries is ubiquitous in modern man; however, the caries experience varies greatly among countries and even within countries. Overall, this review shows that, globally, the EME countries, China, India, and Pakistan have the lowest levels of caries, with DMFT scores in 12-year-olds around 1.0. Caries prevalence figures show a skewed distribution, with a large proportion of this age group being caries-free. Countries with previously high caries levels such as the Formerly Social Economies of Europe, Sub-Saharan Africa, Central and South America, and Mexico—are reporting a decline in caries levels. In countries with low to moderate levels of caries, such as North Africa and the Middle East, there appears to be little change in caries levels over the past 20 years when the regions are viewed as a whole.