[Prevalence of caries in Spanish school children and youth of 7, 12 and 15 to 19 years of age].

The aim of this study was to assess the dental caries prevalence and severity of the population under 20 years of age in Spain. 1469 young people, aged 7, 12 and 15-19 years, and representing the urban (60%) and rural (40%) population from Spain were evaluated, registering the decayed, extracted or filled teeth for primary and permanent dentition. Average D.M.F.T. for 7, 12 and 15-19-years-old were 1.5, 3.5 and 6.6 respectively. A comparison of the results with those of previous studies showed that the average D.M.F.T. scores have decreased since 1984. We have also observed an increment in the number of caries-free children reaching the 57.9% in the age group of 7 years. But this excitement over the increase in the number of caries-free children must be tempered by the recognition that 35% of these individuals had 70% of the caries. We still need educational, preventive and restorative programs, and focus our efforts in detecting and treating the highly susceptible children.