[Epidemiology of caries in Alicante preschoolers. 1. Prevalence, DF index and restoration index].

In the city of Alicante (non-flouridated area) an epidemiological study of dental caries of deciduous teeth has been carried out. From a total population 7,289 preschoolers aged between 4 and 6 years, a representative sample of 1,292 children was obtained by the sampling process of a stratified randomization. The overall prevalence of dental caries in the examined sample was 42.96%, increasing from 33.58% at 4 years of age to 49.73% at 5 years. The CO-t (tooth) index was 1.44 and the CO-s (surfaces of teeth) 2.18. The morbidity index was 1.40. Second molares were the primary teeth most frequently affected (60.89%). The restoration index of 0.03 was noticeably low, being untreated 97% of the affected teeth.