Prevalence of dental caries and gingivitis in a population of Mexican schoolchildren.

The prevalence of dental caries and gingivitis was assessed in schoolchildren of the Tlalpan region in Mexico City. A total of 700 children (age range: 11-17 yr) of both sexes were examined. The sample population included children attending the Middle-School System, where two shifts are run (A.M. and P.M.). Decayed, missing and filled surfaces (DMFS), and Gingival Index (GI) were recorded for all existing teeth. Analysis of the data showed that mean DMFS scores increased with chronological age in both genders, were higher in the P.M. session, and more elevated in females. Similarly the mean GI scores also increased with age, and were higher in the P.M. session. In contrast to the DMFS scores, males presented higher GI scores than females at all age intervals. The results of our study indicated a distinctively high prevalence of caries and gingivitis in Mexican schoolchildren.