Data of baseline and sixteen year surveys of the prevalence of dental caries in children 5 to 14 years and adults of 15 to 24 in Barretos (S. Paulo State, Brazil), were analysed to verify the reduction observed during the sixteen year period of water fluoridation. The reduction in the prevalence of dental caries observed is similar to those obtained in other studies in Brazil and other countries. In the children 5 and 6 years old 66.1% were caries-free, in the age group 6 to 14 there was a reduction of 54% in the DMF average and the children of 12 years of age have a DMF of 3.5. In the individuals of 18 years of age 72.3% retained all their permanent teeth, and in the individuals of 15 to 24 years of age there was a reduction of 90.25% in the level of edentulousness.
Dental caries; Data analysis; Fluoridation; Evaluating studies