Dental Caries among over 1.5 Million Records of Schoolchildren in Singapore, 2007–2019: Age-Period-Cohort Effect Analyses
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: This study aimed to examine the effects of age, period (historical events), and cohort (generational impact) (APC) on caries prevalence and mean DMFT among Singapore schoolchildren from 2007 to 2019. METHODS: Anonymised records of all 6-year-old primary 1 (P1), 11-year-old primary 6 (P6), and 14-year-old secondary 3 (S3) students before the start of each school year between 2007 and 2019 were extracted from the Integrated Dental Electronic Assessment System (IDEAS), categorised by school level, ethnicity, and sex. Poisson regression and partial least squares regressions were applied to estimate APC effects. RESULTS: In total, 502,339 P1, 535,579 P6, and 496,725 S3 records were included from 2007 to 2019, with 1,058,589 (69.0%) Chinese, 187,948 (12.2%) Malay, and 152,618 (9.9%) Indian students; 245,447 (48.8%) P1, 259,389 (48.4%) P6, and 243,941 (49.1%) S3 students were girls. Overall, the APC effects on caries prevalence and mean DMFT showed a strong age effect, with the lowest prevalence in the youngest P1 group and the highest in the oldest S3 group. Period and cohort effects were identified, with the prevalence decreasing among those born after 1995 and the lowest prevalence rate in 2013. Similarly, period and cohort effects on mean DMFT were also detected, with decreased mean DMFT after period 2009 and the highest mean DMFT (0.72 in P6 and 1.13 in S3) in cohort 1995. CONCLUSION: Caries prevalence and DMFT increased with age. While both decreased in individuals born after 1995, mean DMFT began to rise again in those born after 2003.
Related
- The treehoppers (Hemiptera, Membracidae) of Singapore: An annotated checklist, new records, and an illustrated identification key
- Prevalence and experience of dental caries among Singaporean schoolchildren: A time-trend analysis from 2007 to 2019
- Particle association and monsoon seasonality influence microbial communities in marine coastal waters of Singapore
- Distribution and dynamics of Vibrio spp. and pathogen sequences among microhabitats and monsoon seasons in Singapore's coastal waters
- Time trend and Age-Period-Cohort analysis of potentially HPV-related oral and pharyngeal cancer incidence in Singapore between 1968 and 2017
BibTeX
@article{peres2026dental,
title = {{Dental Caries among over 1.5 Million Records of Schoolchildren in Singapore, 2007–2019: Age-Period-Cohort Effect Analyses}},
author = {Karen Glazer Peres and Huihua Li and Wanyi Lim and Yim Heng Wong and Bien Lai and Oy Chu Eu and Marco Aurelio Peres},
journal = {Caries Research},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1159/000541799},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05791943v1},
note = {CC BY-NC-SA},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Dental Caries among over 1.5 Million Records of Schoolchildren in Singapore, 2007–2019: Age-Period-Cohort Effect Analyses
AU - Karen Glazer Peres
AU - Huihua Li
AU - Wanyi Lim
AU - Yim Heng Wong
AU - Bien Lai
AU - Oy Chu Eu
AU - Marco Aurelio Peres
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/11
JO - Caries Research
DO - 10.1159/000541799
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05791943v1
AB - INTRODUCTION: This study aimed to examine the effects of age, period (historical events), and cohort (generational impact) (APC) on caries prevalence and mean DMFT among Singapore schoolchildren from 2007 to 2019. METHODS: Anonymised records of all 6-year-old primary 1 (P1), 11-year-old primary 6 (P6), and 14-year-old secondary 3 (S3) students before the start of each school year between 2007 and 2019 were extracted from the Integrated Dental Electronic Assessment System (IDEAS), categorised by school level, ethnicity, and sex. Poisson regression and partial least squares regressions were applied to estimate APC effects. RESULTS: In total, 502,339 P1, 535,579 P6, and 496,725 S3 records were included from 2007 to 2019, with 1,058,589 (69.0%) Chinese, 187,948 (12.2%) Malay, and 152,618 (9.9%) Indian students; 245,447 (48.8%) P1, 259,389 (48.4%) P6, and 243,941 (49.1%) S3 students were girls. Overall, the APC effects on caries prevalence and mean DMFT showed a strong age effect, with the lowest prevalence in the youngest P1 group and the highest in the oldest S3 group. Period and cohort effects were identified, with the prevalence decreasing among those born after 1995 and the lowest prevalence rate in 2013. Similarly, period and cohort effects on mean DMFT were also detected, with decreased mean DMFT after period 2009 and the highest mean DMFT (0.72 in P6 and 1.13 in S3) in cohort 1995. CONCLUSION: Caries prevalence and DMFT increased with age. While both decreased in individuals born after 1995, mean DMFT began to rise again in those born after 2003.
SN - 0008-6568
SN - 1421-976X
ER -