Burden of (Oral) Disease Study

The Victorian Minister for Health, The Hon. Bronwyn Pike recently released the Victorian Burden of Disease Study: Morbidity and Mortality 2001 (NB - this file is a 1.6Mb pdf).

Comments on Oral Health appear on pages 56-57, and include the following conclusions regarding caries rates:

"In Australia, as in most other industrialised countries, there has been a dramatic decline in caries in children and adolescents, with a high caries experience now affecting a minority of the younger population. This decline in caries activity has been attributed to increases in preventive measures such as the widespread use of fluoridated toothpaste, fluoridation of public water supplies (for most Australian capital cities except Brisbane), the use of fissure sealants, and changing public awareness. Although the caries experience has not declined markedly in middle-aged to older adults, management of the disease has improved in this population, with fewer teeth extracted and a greater number of teeth filled (Baultutis & Morgan, 1998)." (p. 56)