PURPOSE: In 1987, Jamaica initiated a comprehensive island-wide salt fluoridation program. A survey was conducted in 1995 to monitor the impact of salt fluoridation among @entity1 in Jamaica. METHODS: Dental examinations of 1,120 @entity1 aged 6-8, 12, and 15 years were conducted according to World Health Organization criteria to assess @entity1547 , @entity3296 , the presence of and need for dental sealants, and Community Periodontal Treatment Needs (CPI). RESULTS: Age specific DMFT means observed in 1995 were 0.2 at age 7, 0.4 at age 8, 1.1 at age 12 and 3.0 at age 15. The mean DMFT scores in @entity1 6, 12 and 15 years of age were dramatically lower than the corresponding scores of 1.7, 6.7 and 9.6 obtained at the baseline examination in 1984 for @entity1 of the same age groups, respectively (baseline data for 7- and 8-year-olds were not collected). The mean percentage of sound permanent teeth for all age groups was 90% in 1995. The percentage of @entity1 caries-free at baseline was 27.6% for 6 years, 2.8% for 12 years and 0.3% for 15 years of age. In 1995, the percentage of caries-free @entity1 (permanent teeth) was 61%. In 1984, 23 @entity1 were scored as having very mild or mild @entity3296 . In 1995, five @entity1 were scored in the same categories of @entity3296 , using Dean's criteria; thus, @entity3296 remained at negligible levels in 1995. CONCLUSIONS: The oral health survey conducted in Jamaica in 1995 indicated a significant decline in @entity1547 compared with findings in 1984. The major change in Jamaica during the interval was the introduction of salt fluoridation in 1987. @entity3296 was low in the 1995 survey.

Salt fluoridation and XXXX in Jamaica.

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['children'] @entity1547 :: ('MESH:D003731', 'Disease') :: ['dental caries'] @entity3296 :: ('MESH:D009050', 'Disease') :: ['Dental fluorosis', 'fluorosis']
@entity1547 :: (MESH:D003731,Disease) :: ['dental caries']
