Changing oral health status of 6- and 12-year-old schoolchildren in Portugal.

Aims: To assess the actual oral health status of Portuguese schoolchildren aged 6 and 12 years according to gender and urbanisation, to highlight the trend over time in dental caries prevalence of children, to assess the dental care habits and the provision of preventive services to children, and to analyse the effect of dental care habits on caries experience.

Basic Research Design: Clinical examinations of oral health status were carried out in 1999 according to WHO criteria and included dental caries, enamel lesions, oral hygiene status (OHI-S) and Community Periodontal Index (CPI). Structured questionnaires for interviewing children on dental care habits and participation in preventive programmes at school were used.