Caries prevalence in 11- to 14-year old migrant children in Germany

Objectives: To assess whether immigration stage is associated with higher prevalence of dental caries among schoolchildren in Heidelberg, Germany. Methods: A cross-sectional dental examination on 570 schoolchildren, aged 11 to 14 years, in schools with high proportions of immigrant pupils (49.5%) was performed. Carious, missing and filled permanent teeth were recorded for each child, so that mean DMFT values could be calculated. The pupils were classified into three groups: MO (children and their parents were born in Germany), M1 (children who were born in Germany but whose parents were born outside of Germany), and M2 (children and their parents were born outside of Germany). Results: The mean DMFT values in M1 and M2 were close, and both were significantly higher than the corresponding values in MO. The proportions of caries-free children in MO, M1 and M2 were 63.7%, 40.3% and 42.3%, respectively. Conclusion: In Germany, migrant children have a poorer dental health status than native children coming from the same low socio-economic classes. Risk-oriented public health policies with appropriate prevention programs must be developed for these children.