Despite differences in the dental health care services and the recording and reporting systems, a consistent and similar decline in dental caries is evident for Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden during the last two decades. Iceland has experienced a later onset but a steeper decline in dental caries than the other Nordic countries. Public reports demonstrate that in 1991/92 23-49 per cent of the 12-year-old children were caries-free and the mean tooth prevalence was 1.2-2.5 DMFT. Fluoride in various forms has been instrumental in these changes, and public dental health programmes appear to have played an important role, at least in the initiation of the decline. Caries has been slowed down and delayed, but has not been eradicated.