This study determined the sugar consumption and its relationship to caries development in a group of 51 public nursery school children (mean age = 48 months). The dmf-t score (number of decayed, missing and filled primary teeth) was recorded for each child. A four-day diary was obtained using the local observation method and the average sugar consumption was calculated. The mean dmf-t score was 2.75. From the 51 children examined, 15 were caries free (29.4%) and 36 (70.6%) had caries development. The average sugar consumption was 130g/day. An increase in the sugar consumption has been associated with a significant increase in the dmf-t score.
Sucrose; Dental carie; Diet
