[The prevalence of caries in marginal rural and peripheral urban areas]

A descriptive study of caries prevalence in peripheral urban and rural underprivileged groups was undertaken in self-selected populations demanding basic dental therapy in seven states of Mexico. Dental therapy services were delivered as part of a mobile oral health care program in the Mexican countryside implemented by the Dental School of Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, during 1990 and 1991. Partial examination of clinical histories of 2,596 patients (mean age 21.8 years) revealed a mean DMFT (the sum of decayed, missing and filled teeth) of 9.21. Only 6.3 per cent of patients had DMFT = 0 and 10.7 per cent were caries-free. The largest component of DMFT were decayed teeth and the smallest one filled teeth. In general, results suggested that caries prevalence was high within the study populations, highlighting the little restorative treatment previously undertaken. The convenience of implementing oral health care schemes to deal with caries morbidity is discussed from the perspective of both the traditional dental treatment approach and preventive public health policies, taking into account the background of complex treatment needs present in these population groups.