title: Dental caries in underprivileged children of Los Angeles.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study is to investigate the disease of dental caries among a population of poor, migrant, minority children in Los Angeles County.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study team developed an instrument to be completed by parents about their children's determinants of oral health, and adapted the Association of State and Territorial Dental Directors (ASTDD) protocol for conducting clinical examinations. The target groups were 2-5, 6-8 and 14-16 year-old children. Subjects were selected from public schools and early childhood programs.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The study recruited 2,313 children and found that 73% of all children had untreated caries (29% of them had white spot lesions only), 53% had fillings or crowns, and 81% needed dental care.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This is the most comprehensive study of oral health among disadvantaged children of Los Angeles County. The study documented an epidemic of dental caries in the County, the oral health profiles of disadvantaged children, and prepared for the design of appropriate intervention programs.
authors.affiliation: Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA. mulligan@usc.edu
authors.forename: Roseann
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mulligan
authors.forename: Hazam
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Seirawan
authors.forename: Sharon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Faust
authors.forename: Conrado
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Barzaga
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D015141:Los Angeles / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008913:Minority Groups / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D009909:Oral Health; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D011203:Poverty; D014171:Transients and Migrants / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D035862:Vulnerable Populations