Association between untreated caries and age, gender and dental attendance in adults.

The aim of the study was to examine the association between untreated caries on the crown and root of the tooth with the age, gender and dental attendance in a group of adult. Six general practitioners in the Greater Manchester area agreed to take part. Over a 6-week period they collected clinical and personal data on 270 of their adult patients. No association was found between the mean number of coronal surfaces with caries and age; however, there was more root caries in people over 55 yr. More recurrent caries associated with a restoration was diagnosed than primary caries. There were proportionally more female than male regular attenders, and once attendance has been taken into account there were no gender differences for either coronal or root caries. Both coronal and root caries were associated with attendance, with irregular attenders experiencing more. Irregular attenders were three and a half times more likely to have caries on the root surfaces than regular attenders.