This prospective 5-year longitudinal study followed the dental care of a large, representative group of children initially examined in Scotland during the 1983 UK survey of children's dental health. The Dental Health Services Research Unit at the University of Dundee monitored the restorative treatment provided in the General Dental Service and the Community Dental Service for 1568 children aged 5, 8, 12 and 15 years in 1983, using information provided via the Scottish National Health Service. Over a 5-year period, records of attendance were received for 85% of the children (1340). A large amount of restorative care, distributed very unevenly across the sample, was provided. On average, attenders attended once per year (range over 5 years: 1-20) and received approximately one filling in each of the 5 years (range over 5 years: 0-58). The majority of restorative care (80.6% of the 8057 restorations) comprised amalgam fillings in posterior teeth, frequently (89%) involving the occlusal surface. This pattern of treatment has implications for planning cost-effective preventive care. Factors shown to have a significant influence on the number of amalgam fillings placed were initial caries prevalence, number of courses of treatment, age group and service.