Pieper K, et al. - This cross-sectional field study was carried out to evaluate the association between a newly developed sugar index and caries experience in 4th- and 6th-graders by analyzing data of 1,019 fourth-graders and 925 sixth-graders from 2 regions in Northern Germany. Researchers reported that not only the relationship between the sugar index and caries experience was stronger for 4th-graders than for 6th-graders, yet in addition all the more distinctly visible differences were seen when comparing extreme groups. They found that protective factors (fluoridation and the preventive sealing of fissures) help level out the differences in caries occurrence in older children when compared to younger children.