Brief commentary on the Fifth Epidemiological Study of Oral Health in the Basque Country

Abstract

This brief commentary aims to highlight some aspects of the 5th Epidemiological Study on Oral Health, published in 2024. This descriptive cross-sectional study aimed to assess the oral health status of Basque students aged 5, 7, 12, and 14, as well as to compare the results with previous studies, to understand the impact of the Children’s Dental Care Programme and water fluoridation on the child population, and to analyze the association between dental health status and socioeconomic variables. Gender, occupational social status, parents' origin, population size of the place of residence, and brushing frequency were variables that showed a relationship with caries experience, both in primary and permanent dentition. The DMFT index at ages 7, 12, and 14 were 0.03, 0.50, and 0.78, respectively.