[Frequency of dental caries in 1987 in western Brittany (Finistère, Morbihan, Côtes du Nord].

An epidemiological study of dental caries prevalence in 711-schoolchildren was conducted in 1987 in three departments of Western Brittany: Finistère, Côtes du Nord and Morbihan. The dft and dfs indices indicated a high caries prevalence in the deciduous dentition. In permanent teeth caries appeared soon after eruption affecting an increasing number of teeth and surfaces with age. Fissure caries were the predominant affected tooth surface. The effects of sex and urban-rural residence on differences in caries prevalence were analysed. The plaque, calculus and gingival indices underline the need for improvement in oral hygiene demonstrating discrete gingival inflammatory changes in children.