Prevalence of proximal caries in adults and children at Bristol Dental Hospital and South Bristol Community Hospital

Introduction: Despite lack of data regarding proximal dental caries lesions, they may account for a substantial (>50%) proportion of all reported caries in some populations. Detection of proximal caries relies on clinical and radiographic examination. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of proximal caries in posterior teeth in adults and children treated at Bristol Dental Hospital (BDH) and South Bristol Community Hospital (SBCH) in 2013. 
Method: Radiographs were examined and statistical analyses determined the distribution and average number of decayed proximal surfaces between 4 sample groups (BDH Adult, BDH Child, SBCH Adult, and SBCH Child). 
Results: Of the 178 subjects, 41.6% were free from proximal caries. Those with caries each had, on average, 3 carious proximal surfaces. There was a clear difference in the proportion of caries-free subjects between the 4 groups, which was lowest in the BDH Child group where 90% possessed at least one untreated decayed proximal surface. This may be explained by the fact that many of patients in this group are referred for multiple extractions of carious teeth.
Conclusions: Posterior teeth are not uniformly affected by caries. Fewer proximal surfaces are restored than occlusal lesions possibly due to implementation of preventive treatment modalities.