This study evaluated the feasibility of using the International Caries Detection and Assessment System (ICDAS-II) in epidemiological surveys and compared ICDAS with WHO criteria. Two hundred and fifty-two children (36-59 months old) in Amparo, Brazil, were each examined by 2 examiners using ICDAS-II or WHO criteria. Dmf-t, dmf-s, caries prevalence and examination time were calculated using both systems. ICDAS-II was comparable to standard criteria when the cut-off point was score 3. Examination by ICDAS-II took twice as long as by WHO criteria. In conclusion, ICDAS-II, besides providing information on non-cavitated caries lesions, can generate data comparable to previous surveys which used WHO criteria.