Dental Caries Changes in the Scottish Isle of Lewis

The Scottish Isle of Lewis has an island community which traditionally is a stable population that has little migration of its school children. The island has low levels of fluoride (less than 0.1 ppm) in the drinking water supplies, but the island inhabitants have the availability of all UK commodities. The island has well detailed dental data going back to 1937. The present study (1987) examined dental caries and oral hygiene status in the school community between 1984 and 87 and compares the findings to the previous examinations completed by the same survey team. The caries levels declined during the period 1984-87, but not as rapidly as the decline reported in the 1970s. The main reason for the continued decline in dental caries appears to be the availability of fluoride dentifrices.