A cross-sectional survey to determine the ages of emergence of permanent teeth of Caucasian children of the Colchester area of the UK.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the ages of emergence of permanent teeth of Caucasian children of the Colchester area of the UK.

METHODS

Emergence data for all permanent teeth except third molars was collected from 12,395 children between four and 15 years of age, in the Colchester area of the UK between April 1998 and July 2001. A simple, robust, easy-to-follow experimental protocol was devised to provide reliable data collection.

RESULTS

The ages of emergence of the permanent teeth in this study which covered the period 1998-2001 in this Colchester population are later than earlier studies conducted throughout the twentieth century.

CONCLUSION

If confirmed, the results of this study would suggest that contemporary children's dental development is retarded which may have implications for their general health. The type of study reported here may have long-term value in rapidly identifying trends in children's development of public health importance.