[Status of dentition in Bolivia according to altitude, sex and age]

The author's quantitative evaluation of the condition of teeth among peasants in several rural communities in Bolivia gave the following results: As altitude decreases the health status of human dentition deteriorates. Further study of possible explanations of this phenomenon is proposed, specifically: the effect of diet, the fluorine content of drinking water, the habit of chewing coca leaves, and inadequate oral hygiene. Whatever the ecological conditions, it was found that younger girls have healthier teeth than boys, but that for all other ages male teeth are in better condition. Studies undertaken by other authors show that younger girls' molars exhibit more attrition than boys'; at other periods in life, the opposite is the case. Currently, there is no satisfactory explanation for the differential health status of dentition by age and sex.