Dietary intakes and caries experience in children in Limpopo Province, South Africa.

Introduction: The identification of a rural village with a very low incidence of dental caries among the children provided the opportunity to study the diets of children apparently not exposed to risk factors for dental caries and compare them with children who were at risk.

Objective: To compare the diet, nutritional status and dental caries experience of 10- and 15-year-olds in an urban town (Malamulele) and a rural village (Mahonisi) in the Limpopo Province, South Africa.

Methods: Dental examinations and anthropometric measurements were done according to standard procedures.