The associations of age and dentition status with caries treatment in adult males

This study explores patterns of treatment for caries in adults. Data were collected as part of the Veterans Administration Dental Longitudinal Study. The 698 subjects received comprehensive dental examinations at three-year intervals for approximately ten years. The subjects were classified into three age groups and three dentition status categories. Total need for treatment was defined as the number of surfaces that initially had caries plus those developing caries over the three subsequent examinations. Analysis of variance was used to determine if there were significant associations between age or dentition status groups and the percent of total need that was treated by extraction, treated by restoration, or remained untreated. Significant associations were noted: (1) between age and the percent of carious surfaces extracted, (2) between dentition status and the percent of carious surfaces restored, and (3) between dentition status and the percent of surfaces extracted. These findings were interpreted to indicate that future cohorts of older patients with greater numbers of teeth are likely to seek operative treatment for diagnosed caries.