The Health of Naval Recruits: Dental Caries.

Abstract : An epidemiological survey of naval recruits disclosed a high prevalence of unfilled decayed teeth. Those men with the most decayed teeth and the deepest decayed teeth had the highest incidence of new cavities in their first six months of service. There was a positive relationship of these indices of poor dental health with naval recruiters' indicators of low performance potential. This report confirms past surveys that a small portion of naval recruits consume a large proportion of dental care resources. It is recommended that the caries-prone men be given extra caries-preventive treatments at their most caries-prone anatomical sites. (Author)