Measuring oral health: an historical view and details of a contemporary oral health index (OHX).

The paper describes a new index for measuring oral health, the Oral Health Index (OHX). In reviewing the indices so far developed, the paper discusses the relative merits and disadvantages of these, especially in relation to their specificity to individual disease processes. The component parts of the OHX are described, together with pilot studies of its use and suggested future areas for its implementation.