Pages 750-753 in G. Pétursdóttir et al., eds. Circumpolar Health 93. Proceedings of the 9th International Congress on Circumpolar Health, Reykjavík, Iceland, June 20-25, 1993. Arctic Medical Research. 1994;53(Suppl.2)
Faculté de Médicine Dentaire, Université Laval, Québec, Canada
Source
Pages 750-753 in G. Pétursdóttir et al., eds. Circumpolar Health 93. Proceedings of the 9th International Congress on Circumpolar Health, Reykjavík, Iceland, June 20-25, 1993. Arctic Medical Research. 1994;53(Suppl.2)
Previous reports indicated that dentists resorted often to general anesthesia (GA) to treat deciduous teeth of young kids. These children, at an older age, demonstrated a high level of untreated cavities for their permanent dentition. In 1991, we examined the current situation for the young population of Aupaluk and Kangirsuk. We found that the proportion of kids treated under GA at an early age was 67, 70, and 54% for groups of 2-5, 6-11, and 12-18 years old respectively. The percentage of various permanent teeth treated (F/DMFT) was, on average, 74% for the 6-11 group and 61% for the 12-18 group. An important difference was found between the two communities; the F/DMFT was 82% in AupaIuk compared to 52% in Kangirsuk for the 12-18 group. Demographic reasons may explain this discrepancy. On average, Inuit youngsters had lost one tooth at 13 years old, two at 16, and seven at 18. Prior to 1992, much energy and time was spent on treatment of the primary dentition under GA. Meanwhile, Inuit young adults were losing several permanent teeth. Even if the treatment level has considerably improved lately, much is left to be done. Because of limited resources, curative efforts in the next years should be directed at the adult dentition of schoolchildren rather than the primary teeth of preschoolers. To support this objective, school collaboration is essential.