[Assessment of health and record of disease in the promotion of health oral].

Background: At present, epidemiologic dentistry has numerous indexes to measure illness such as DMFT, dmft and S-OHI which are broadly used for illness diagnosis in different population groups. On the other hand, the index INSAO proposed differs from the approach focused on the disease itself. INSAO offers a parameter to measure the degree of health of teeth and gums and thus provides the patient with the information about their health.

Objective: The aim of this study is to analyze the usefulness of the information provided by the traditional indexes and those recorded by INSAO, to the oral health evaluation in rural schools of the north of Córdoba, Argentina.

Material And Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out in school children, aged 5 to 14 attending 8 rural primary schools. Data was collected from a clinical examination. Caries experience was measured according WHO indications. The dmf-t and DMF-T indexes were determined. Oral hygiene was evaluated by means S-OHI. The total amount of teeth present in the mouth, sound teeth number, and the state of the gum were registered to built INSAO index.

Results: Inverse correspondence is observed between dental health level through INSAO and the disease through proportion of permanent and temporary teeth with cavities active recorded by dmf-t and DMF-T indexes.

Conclusion: The application of INSAO is presented as a valuable instrument in the promotion of oral health in communities that belong to excluded social groups due to their special characteristics.