Dental caries experience in Mexican schoolchildren from rural and urban communities

OBJECTIVE: To compare dental caries experience in Mexican rural and urban settings. DESIGN: Cross-sectional samples of schoolchildren. SETTING: A school in Mexico City and a rural school in a remote area of the Oaxaca State in Southern Mexico. SAMPLE AND METHODS: A total of 347, 9- to 10-year-old schoolchildren (rural area, 131 children; urban, 216) was examined by two standardised dentists using the WHO 1987 criteria. OUTCOME MEASURES: Data were analysed in terms of central tendency measures and 95 per cent confidence intervals. RESULTS: Caries prevalence was 91.6 per cent in the urban area, and 54.4 per cent in the rural area (P < 0.05). DMFT in 10-year olds was 1.93 (sd 1.72) and 0.40 (sd 0.76) in urban and rural areas respectively (95 per cent CI 1.16-1.89). The entire DMFT/dmft indices in the rural group were made up of the decayed component. CONCLUSIONS: There is a large difference in the prevalence and distribution of dental caries between rural and urban Mexican children. Dental treatment background also differs markedly. Findings highlight the need to establish distinct preventative and rehabilitative treatment strategies tailored to meet the specific needs of different population groups.